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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 1046.PDF
d FLIGHT. APRIL 22, 1937. A^K» ,1, ^.^K 11 ••jfc ••••PPHBP ARK ROYAL The World's Most Modern Aircraft Carrier Launched for the Navy APART from the Hermes the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, launched from Cammell Laird's Birkenhead yards ^ on Tuesday of last week, is the first vessel of its kind to be designed specially for the large-scale operation of aircraft. Construction is already under way on two additional vessels, Illustrious and Victorious, both of which are scheduled for completion in 1939. The Ark Royal should be commissioned next year, until which time, presumably, detailed information is being witheld. It is known, however, that she displaces 22,000 tons, is 685 feet long, measures 94 feet in the beam, and draws 23 feet of water. Her armament will consist of 4.5m. guns. Unofficially, it is stated that she has stowage for about seventy aircraft and tnat she will be driven by her Parsons geared turbines at a maximum speed of " some thing in the neighbourhood of 30 knots." Apparently she will have high-pressure water-tube boilers of the three- drum type. Her striking hull lines are brought out in the accom panying views. It is said that her detail design will embody several improve ments making for aug mented efficiency of flying operations and of aircraft stowage. Together with the Illus trious and Victorious, the Ark Royal will add greatly to the Navy's aerial strength. It will be recalled that present plans envisage d o u b 1 i n g the numerical strength of the Fleet Air Arm, the present establish ment of which is 217 first- line machines, of which 160 are operated from aircraft carriers. Excluding the Argus, which is used mainly as a floating base for Queen Bee radio-controlled target aircraft, the five British carriers at present in ser vice have a total capacity of 165 aeroplanes. ThesV vessels are the Courageous and Glorious (22,500 tons), Eagle (22,600 tons), Furious (22,450 tons) and Hermes (10,850 tons). H.M.S. Pegasus, from which the name Ark Royal has been transferred, is on hand for experimental work with catapults, etc. The launching ceremony of H.M.S. Ark Royal in progress at Birkenhead.
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