RN Aircraft Carriers: Classless

[Pelican]

HMS Unicorn was the world's first Aircraft Maintenance Carrier. Completed in March 1943, she could be used as a conventional carrier, a ferry as well as a maintenance ship for aircraft. She proved invaluable to the British Pacific Fleet in WW2.
Whereas the US Navy relied heavily on replacement aircraft sent to the fleet on jeep carriers, the RN depended more on repairing damaged aircraft to maintain squadrons on their carriers. By the end of the war, Unicorn had repaired over 600 aircraft.
[No details about attached photo.]

[emason]

A couple more of HMS Unicorn.

Unicorn-AircraftMaintenance.jpg

Unicorn-2.jpg

[Brian James]

HMS Ark Royal pictured at Malta in 1939.

[Brian James]

Southampton Sub-Class, Town Class Light Cruiser HMS Birmingham pictured with HMS Eagle at Hong Kong in 1938.

[Brian James]

HMS Eagle pictured in 1940.....In 1911, the Chilean Navy ordered one 28,000-long-ton (28,450 t) Super-Dreadnought Battleship, with an option for a second ship, each to be armed with ten 14-inch and sixteen six-inch guns, that were named Almirante Latorre and Almirante Cochrane. Almirante Latorre was laid down in December 1911, followed by Almirante Cochrane at Armstrong yards at Newcastle upon Tyne on February 20th 1913. On the outbreak of the First World War, construction of the two ships was suspended. The Admiralty purchased the almost-complete Almirante Latorre, which then in 1915 entered service as HMS Canada. At the outbreak of war, Almirante Cochrane was almost complete up to the forecastle, although her side armour had not yet been installed. No further work was carried out during the war until the British decided to complete her as an Aircraft Carrier for the RN. They purchased her from Chile on February 28th 1918 to be converted into the carrier HMS Eagle....Sunk would be sunk by Type VIIB U Boat U-73 during Operation Pedestal on August 11th 1942 with the loss of 131 crew.

[Brian James]

HMS Argus pictured sporting her dazzle camouflage with the Carrier converted Courageous Class Battlecruiser HMS Furious in the background at Scapa Flow in November 1918.

[Brian James]

HMS Hermes pictured in 1933..She was sunk off Ceylon by Japanese aircraft on April 9th 1942 with the loss of 307 men.