RN Aircraft Carriers: Illustrious Class

[Brian James]

RAF 26 Sqn Bristol Belvedere pictured ferrying equipment and troops ship to shore at Mombasa during the Tanganyika Uprising in 1964, these twin rotor helicopters along with Royal Navy Wessex carried Royal Marine Commandos ashore at the beginning of the conflict, this image taken from HMS Victorious with Sea Vixen, Gannet, & Wessex seen on the flightdeck, the Carrier in the distance is Centaur Class Carrier HMS Albion in her role as a Commando Carrier.

[Brian James]

Fairey Albacores and Fulmars stowed in the hangar of Illustrious Class Carrier HMS Victorious, January 1942.

[Brian James]

Illustrious Class Fleet Carrier HMS Victorious pictured c1947.

[Brian James]

Modified Illustrious Class Carrier HMS Indomitable 1951 schematic.

[Brian James]

Modified Illustrious Class Carrier HMS Indomitable pictured on July 16th 1942.

[Pelican]

THE SHARP END OF VIC ~ RECENT JOKE & PHOTO
“Have you done the proper risk assessment?”
“Yes, Sir…it’s proper risky!”
“Very good. Carry on”
Plus photo, Ben Lyon has located the photo in his Commissioning Book for Victorious taken c 1961-62. See attached:

[jbryce1437]

THE SHARP END OF VIC ~ RECENT JOKE & PHOTO
“Have you done the proper risk assessment?”
“Yes, Sir…it’s proper risky!”
“Very good. Carry on”
Plus photo, Ben Lyon has located the photo in his Commissioning Book for Victorious taken c 1961-62. See attached:

Looks like the photo is a cropped version of this one

Jim

[Pelican]

Sure does.

[Pelican]

HMS Illustrious

Sits in dry dock in Australia while her centre propeller shaft is repaired. The Sydney, Australia dry dock or, as it was known, the Captain Cook Graving Dock, was a massive repair facility: 1,139 feet 5 inches (347.29 metres) long, 147 feet 7.5 inches (45 metres) wide and with 45 feet (13.72 metres) draught of water. The dock was not yet finished when Illustrious showed up limping into Sydney harbour. The construction was sufficiently advanced however to allow the emergency docking of HMS Illustrious on 2 March 1945, three weeks before the official opening ceremony.

The shaft had to be removed, due to the deformation of the hull. Thereafter, Illustrious was a twin-screw carrier, with a maximum speed of 24 knots. After temporary repairs in Sydney, she returned to the UK for full repairs, and was the largest of about a half-dozen ships, notionally on the strength of the British Pacific Fleet, but actually in Home Waters.

[Brian James]

HMS Victorious, June 1944.