The ''Courageous'' class, sometimes called the ''Glorious'' class, was the first multi-ship class of
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
s to serve with the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. The three ships—, and —were originally laid down as
''Courageous''-class battlecruisers as part of the
Baltic Project
The Baltic Project was a plan promoted by the Admiral Lord Fisher to procure a speedy victory during the First World War over Germany. It involved landing a substantial force, either British or Russian soldiers, on the flat beaches of Pomerania o ...
during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. While very fast, their minimal armour and few guns limited their long-term utility in the post-war Royal Navy, and they were
laid up
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...
after the war. They were considered
capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet.
Strategic im ...
s by the terms of the 1922
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was a treaty signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction. It was negotiated at the Washington Nav ...
and were included in the total amount of tonnage allowed to the Royal Navy. Rather than
scrap
Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...
them, the Navy decided to convert them to aircraft carriers as permitted under the Treaty.
''Furious'', already partially converted during the war, began her reconstruction in 1921, before the Treaty came into effect. In an attempt to minimise air turbulence, she was given no
superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.
Aboard ships and large boats
On water craft, the superstruct ...
or
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
. This was not entirely satisfactory, and a small island was added in 1939. Another problem was that she lacked a standard
funnel
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
; instead, her
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...
uptakes ran along the sides of the ship and exhausted out of gratings on the rear of the
flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters ...
, or at the sides of the ship if landing operations were in progress. The long ducts reduced her aircraft capacity, and the exhaust gases were as much of a problem for landing aircraft as the turbulence would have been. Her
half-sisters
A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child.
While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separat ...
, ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious'', began their conversions to aircraft carriers as ''Furious'' neared completion. They drew upon the experience gained by the Royal Navy since ''Furious'' had been designed and incorporated an island with a funnel, increasing their aircraft capacity by one-third and making it safer to land.
As the first large carrier completed by the Royal Navy, ''Furious'' was extensively used to evaluate aircraft handling and landing procedures, including the first-ever carrier night landing in 1926. ''Courageous'' became the first warship lost by the Royal Navy in the Second World War when she was
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
ed in September 1939 by a German
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
. ''Glorious'' participated in the
Norwegian campaign in 1940, but she was sunk by two German
battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
s in June as she sailed home with a minimal escort. ''Furious'' participated in many major operations during the war, including the Norwegian campaign in 1940, the
Malta Convoys
The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies f ...
and ''
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
'' in 1942, and airstrikes on the and other targets in Norway in 1944. The ship was worn out by 1944 and was placed in
reserve
Reserve or reserves may refer to:
Places
* Reserve, Kansas, a US city
* Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish
* Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County
* Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
status in September 1944 before being
paid off
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...
in 1945 and sold for
scrap
Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...
in 1948.
Careers as battlecruisers
![HMS Glorious (1917) profile drawing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/HMS_Glorious_%281917%29_profile_drawing.png)
The first two ships of the class, ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious'', spent the First World War on
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
patrols, climaxing in the
Second Battle of Heligoland Bight
The Second Battle of Heligoland Bight, also the Action in the Helgoland Bight and the , was an inconclusive naval engagement fought between British and German squadrons on 17 November 1917 during the First World War.
Background
British minela ...
in November 1917. Their half-sister ''Furious'' was designed with a pair of guns—as opposed to four —but was modified while being built to hold a flying-off deck and
hangar
A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
in lieu of her forward
turret
Turret may refer to:
* Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building
* Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon
* Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope
* Mi ...
and
barbette
Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships.
In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...
. She made some patrols in the North Sea before her rear turret was removed and another flight deck added. Her aircraft attacked
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
sheds during the
Tondern raid
The Tondern raid or Operation F.7, was a British bombing raid mounted by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force against the Imperial German Navy airship base at Tønder, Denmark, then a part of Germany. The airships were used for the strategic bombin ...
in July 1918.
All three ships were reduced to reserve after the war. The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 limited the signatory nations to a set amount of capital ship tonnage; all ships in excess of this figure had to be scrapped. Up to of existing ships could be converted into aircraft carriers, and the Royal Navy decided to use the ''Courageous''-class ships due to their high speed. Each ship was reconstructed with a flight deck during the 1920s.
Conversions
![Dunning Landing-on Furious In Pup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Dunning_Landing-on_Furious_In_Pup.jpg)
had been fitted during the First World War with a flying-off and landing deck, but the latter proved largely unusable because of the strong air currents around the superstructure and exhaust gases from the funnel. She was laid up after the war, but was converted to an aircraft carrier between June 1921 and September 1925. Her design was based on the very limited experience gained with the first two British carriers: , less than three years old, and , which had carried out only 143 deck landings during preliminary
sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s in 1920.
''Furious''s superstructure, masts, funnel and landing deck were removed and she was given a flight deck that extended over three-quarters of her length. This flight deck was not level; it sloped upwards about three-quarters of the way from the stern to help slow down landing aircraft, which had no brakes at the time it was designed. That era's fore-and-aft
arresting gear
An arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is a mechanical system used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBA ...
, initially long on ''Furious'', was not intended to stop landing aircraft—the landing speeds of the time were low enough that this was unnecessary given a good headwind—but rather to prevent aircraft from veering off to one side and potentially falling off the flight deck. Various designs for the flight deck were tested in a wind tunnel by the
National Physical Laboratory which showed that the distinctive elliptical shape and rounded edges minimised turbulence. To minimise any turbulence over the flight deck, ''Furious'' was flush-decked and lacked an island, like ''Argus''; instead she was provided with a retractable
charthouse at the forward end of the flight deck.
A two-
storey
A storey (British English) or story (American English) is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the word are ''storeys'' (UK) and ''stories'' (US).
T ...
hangar was built under the flight deck, each level being high. The lower hangar was long by wide and the upper was . Each hangar could be sectioned off by electrically operated steel shutters on rollers. Her boilers were ducted down the side of the ship to exhaust either out of gratings at the rear of the flight deck, or, when landing operations were in progress, out of the side of the lower hangar at the rear of the ship. This solution proved to be very unsatisfactory as it consumed valuable space, made parts of the lower hangar unbearable and interfered with landing operations to a greater or lesser degree. Her original flying-off deck remained in place for use by small aircraft like
fighters
Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to:
Combat and warfare
* Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict
* Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...
so that the ship could simultaneously land aircraft on the main flight deck while fighters were taking off on the lower deck and could speedily launch her aircraft from both decks. Doors at the forward end of the upper hangar opened onto the lower flying deck. Two lifts (elevators) were installed to transfer aircraft between the flight deck and hangars. Two ready-use
petrol
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
tanks were provided for aircraft and the ship's boats on the upper deck. An additional of petrol were in bulk storage. The longitudinal arresting gear proved unpopular in service and it was ordered removed in 1927 after tests aboard ''Furious'' in 1926 had shown that deck-edge palisades were effective in reducing cross-deck gusts that could blow aircraft over the side. ''Furious''s long exhaust ducting hampered landing operations, and restricted the size of the hangars and thus the number of aircraft that she could carry.
[Friedman, pp. 103, 105–106]
''Glorious'' and ''Courageous'' were converted to aircraft carriers after ''Furious'' began her reconstruction, ''Courageous'' at
Devonport starting on 29 June 1924, and ''Glorious'' at
Rosyth
Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440.
The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
on 14 February 1924. The latter was moved to Devonport to complete the conversion after ''Furious'' was finished. Their design was based on ''Furious'' with a few improvements based on experience gained since she was designed. All superstructure, guns, and fittings down to the main deck were removed. A two-storey hangar, each level high and long, was built on top of the remaining hull; the upper hangar level opened onto a short flying-off deck, below and forward of the main flight deck. Two slightly larger lifts were installed fore and aft in the flight deck. An island was added on the starboard side with the bridge, flying control station, and funnel, as an island did not create as much turbulence as had been earlier feared. By 1939 both ships could carry of petrol.
Description
![HMS Glorious underway 1936](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/HMS_Glorious_underway_1936.jpg)
The ''Courageous''-class ships had an
overall length
The overall length (OAL) of an ammunition cartridge is a measurement from the base of the brass shell casing to the tip of the bullet, seated into the brass casing. Cartridge overall length, or "COL", is important to safe functioning of reloads i ...
of , a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of , and a
draught of at
deep load
The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...
. These were increases of in beam and over in draught compared to their earlier incarnations as battlecruisers. They displaced at normal load and at deep load, increases of over . Their
metacentric height
The metacentric height (GM) is a measurement of the initial static stability of a floating body. It is calculated as the distance between the centre of gravity of a ship and its metacentre. A larger metacentric height implies greater initial stab ...
declined from at deep load to and the ships had a complete
double bottom
A double hull is a ship Hull (watercraft), hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull ...
.
[Roberts, pp. 64–65] In 1939, ''Courageous'' had a complement of 807 officers and
ratings, plus 403 men in her air group.
Their half-sister ''Furious'' was the same length, but had a beam of , and an average draught of at deep load, two feet deeper than before the conversion. She displaced at normal load and at deep load, over 3,000 long tons more than her previous displacement of at load and at deep load. ''Furious''s metacentric height was at deep load, a reduction of after her conversion.
In 1932, ''Furious'' had a complement of 738 officers and ratings, plus 468 men in her air group.
Propulsion
The ''Courageous''-class ships were the first large warships in the Royal Navy to have geared
steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
s. Arranged in two engine rooms, each of the turbines drove one of the four
propeller shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
s. ''Furious''s propellers were in diameter. The turbines were powered by 18
Yarrow
''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Other common names include old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, and thousand seal.
The ...
small-tube boilers equally divided among three boiler rooms. The turbines were designed to produce a total of at a working pressure of . No significant changes to the machinery were made during the conversion process to any of the three ships, but their increased displacement reduced their speed to approximately .
[Friedman, p. 95]
''Furious''s fuel capacity was increased by during her reconstruction, which increased her range to at a speed of .
The maximum fuel capacity of ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious'' was increased during the conversion to of
fuel oil
Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...
,
[Burt 2012, p. 283] giving them an endurance of at 10 kn.
[Friedman, p. 363]
Armament
![British gun, skansin (Faroe Islands)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/British_gun%2C_skansin_%28Faroe_Islands%29.jpg)
''Furious'' retained ten of her original eleven
breech-loading
A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition (cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle).
Modern firearms are generally breech ...
BL 5.5-inch Mk I guns, five on each side, for self-defence from enemy warships.
They fired projectiles at a
muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed of a projectile (bullet, pellet, slug, ball/shots or shell) with respect to the muzzle at the moment it leaves the end of a gun's barrel (i.e. the muzzle). Firearm muzzle velocities range from approximately to i ...
of . Their maximum range was at their maximum elevation of 25°, and the rate of fire was 12 rounds per minute.
Half a dozen
QF 4-inch Mark V guns replaced her original
anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
guns. Four were mounted on the sides of the flying-off deck and two on the
quarterdeck
The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...
. They had a maximum depression of −5° and a maximum elevation of 80°. The guns fired a
high explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...
(HE) shell at a muzzle velocity of at a rate of 10 to 15 rounds per minute. The guns had a maximum ceiling of , but an effective range of much less. The four guns on the flying-off deck were removed during trials of the lower flight deck in 1926–1927, but only two were replaced when the trials were concluded.
[Friedman, p. 109]
Four single
QF 2-pounder ''pom-poms'' were installed by 1927.
During ''Furious''s September 1930 – February 1932 refit, her anti-aircraft outfit was changed by the substitution of two 8-barrel 2-pounder ''pom-pom'' mounts for the forward 4-inch guns on the flying-off deck removed earlier.
[Burt 2012, p. 276] The Mark V mount could depress to −10° and elevate to a maximum of 80°. The Mark VIII 2-pounder gun fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of to a distance of . The gun's rate of fire was approximately 96–98 rounds per minute.
The and guns were replaced during ''Furious''s refit in early 1939 by a dozen
QF 4-inch Mk XVI guns in twin
dual-purpose Mark XIX mounts. One mount each was on the former flying-off deck and the quarterdeck while the other four were mounted two per side. The Mark XIX mount could depress to −10° and elevate to a maximum of 80°. The Mark XVI gun fired fifteen to twenty HE shells per minute at a muzzle velocity of . Against surface targets it had a range of and a maximum ceiling of , but an effective anti-aircraft range of much less. Two more Mark V 2-pounder mounts were added fore and aft of the newly added island at the same time.
During the Second World War, ''Furious'', the only surviving ship of the three, received an eventual total of 22 manually operated automatic
20 mm Oerlikon light anti-aircraft (AA) guns, which replaced the single quadruple Vickers 0.50-calibre machine gun mount.
The Oerlikon fired a HE shell at a muzzle velocity of . The maximum ceiling was 10,000 ft and the maximum range was although the effective range was under . The cyclic rate of fire was 450 rounds per minute, but the practical rate was between 250 and 320 rounds per minute owing to the need to reload
magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...
.
A mix of single-purpose anti-surface and anti-aircraft guns in various sizes was considered for ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious'' by the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
, but was ultimately rejected for a dual-purpose armament of sixteen
QF 4.7-inch Mark VIII guns in single high-angle mounts. One mount was on each side of the lower flight deck and a pair were on the quarterdeck. The remaining twelve mounts were distributed along the sides of each ship.
These mounts could depress to −5° and elevate to a maximum of 90°. The Mark VIII guns fired a HE shell at a muzzle velocity of at a rate of 8–12 rounds per minute. The guns had a maximum ceiling of , but an effective range of much less. They had a maximum range of against surface targets.
During refits in the mid-1930s, both ships received multiple 2-pounder ''pom-pom'' mounts. ''Courageous'' received three quadruple Mark VII mounts, one on each side of the flying-off deck, forward of the 4.7-inch guns, and one behind the island on the flight deck (two of these were transferred from the battleship ). ''Glorious'' received three octuple Mark VI mounts in the same locations. Both ships received four water-cooled
0.50-calibre Mark III machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
s in a single quadruple mounting. This mount could depress to −10° and elevate to a maximum of 70°. The machine guns fired a bullet at a muzzle velocity of . This gave the gun a maximum range of about , although its effective range was only . Neither ship had any further guns added before they were sunk early in the war,
in 1939 and 1940, respectively.
Fire control and radar
To assist its weapon systems in hitting their target, ''Furious'' was completed with one
fire-control system
A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a ...
for each side, with separate
directors
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''Di ...
for low-angle and high-angle guns. The 5.5-inch guns were centrally controlled by a
Dreyer Fire-Control Table on the lower deck while the 4-inch guns had their mechanical computers next to their directors.
The existing fire-control directors were removed when ''Furious'' received her new dual-purpose 4-inch mountings in 1939. New high-angle directors, including two for the ''pom-poms'', were mounted on top of the new island and on the former lower flight deck. Over the course of the war
Type 285 gunnery
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
s were mounted on top of the high-angle directors. She also received a
Type 290 air-search radar.
''Courageous'' was initially fitted only with low-angle directors for her guns, but these were replaced by dual-purpose directors when she was refitted in 1930. (''Glorious'', completed later, had hers from the beginning.) Neither ship was fitted with radar before its early loss.
Protection
Little armour other than that of the
barbette
Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships.
In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...
s was removed during their conversion to aircraft carriers. The transverse bulkheads were carried through the locations of the former barbettes. The flight deck was in thickness.
Unlike other British battlecruisers, the bulk of the armour of the ''Courageous''-class ships was made from
high-tensile steel (HTS), a type of steel used structurally in other ships. Their waterline
belt
Belt may refer to:
Apparel
* Belt (clothing), a leather or fabric band worn around the waist
* Championship belt, a type of trophy used primarily in combat sports
* Colored belts, such as a black belt or red belt, worn by martial arts practit ...
consisted of of HTS covered by a thick mild steel skin. It protected roughly the middle two-thirds of the ship with a one-inch extension forward to the two-inch forward transverse
bulkhead well short of the bow. The belt had a height of , of which was below the designed waterline. From the former forward barbette, a 3-inch bulkhead extended out to the ship's side between the upper and lower decks and a comparable bulkhead was in place at the former location of the rear barbette as well. Four decks were armoured with thicknesses varying from , thickest over the magazines and the steering gear. After the
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...
, of extra protection was added to the deck around the magazines.
The
torpedo bulkhead
A torpedo bulkhead is a type of naval armour common on the more heavily armored warships, especially battleships and battlecruisers of the early 20th century. It is designed to keep the ship afloat even if the hull is struck underneath the belt ar ...
s were increased during building from 0.75– in thickness. All three ships were fitted with a shallow
anti-torpedo bulge
The anti-torpedo bulge (also known as an anti-torpedo blister) is a form of defence against naval torpedoes occasionally employed in warship construction in the period between the First and Second World Wars. It involved fitting (or retrofitting ...
integral to the hull, which was intended to detonate the torpedo before it hit the hull proper and deflect the underwater explosion to the surface, away from the ship. Later testing proved that it was not deep enough to accomplish its task and that it lacked the layers of empty and full compartments that were necessary to absorb the force of the explosion.
Air groups
![HMS Furious-15](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/HMS_Furious-15.jpg)
Normally, ''Furious'' could carry only about 36 aircraft. In the 1920s this commonly meant one flight (squadrons after 1932) of fighters (
Fairey Flycatcher
The Fairey Flycatcher was a British single-seat biplane carrier-borne fighter aircraft made by Fairey Aviation Company which served from 1923 to 1934. It was produced with a conventional undercarriage for carrier use, although this could be exc ...
), two of spotters (
Blackburn Blackburn
The Blackburn R-1 Blackburn was a 1920s British single-engine fleet spotter/reconnaissance aircraft built by Blackburn Aircraft.
History
The Blackburn was developed to meet a naval requirement ( Specification 3/21) for a carrier-based reconnai ...
or
Avro Bison
The Avro 555 Bison was a British single-engined fleet spotter/reconnaissance aircraft built by Avro.
Development and design
The Bison was designed to meet British Specification 3/21 for a carrier-based fleet spotter and reconnaissance aircraf ...
), one spotter reconnaissance (
Fairey III
The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants. First flying on 14 September 1917, examples were still in us ...
D) and two flights of torpedo bombers (
Blackburn Dart
The Blackburn Dart was a carrier-based torpedo bomber biplane designed and manufactured by the British aviation company Blackburn Aircraft. It was the standard single-seat torpedo bomber operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) between 1923 and 19 ...
). In 1935 there was one squadron of fighters with
Hawker Nimrod
The Hawker Nimrod is a British carrier-based single-engine, single-seat biplane fighter aircraft built in the early 1930s by Hawker Aircraft.
Design and development
In 1926 the Air Ministry specification N.21/26 was intended to produce a suc ...
s and
Hawker Osprey
The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...
s, one squadron of
Blackburn Baffin
The Blackburn B-5 Baffin biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was a development of the Ripon, the chief change being that a 545 hp (406 kW) Bristol Pegasus I.MS radial ...
torpedo bombers and one squadron of Fairey IIIF spotters. During the Second World War, the carrier typically carried a single fighter squadron and two of strike aircraft of various types, although the mix was often adjusted for specific missions.
''Courageous'' and ''Glorious'' were generally similar except that they carried a total of 48 aircraft. They commonly flew the same types of aircraft as ''Furious'', although they are also known to have flown the
Fairey Seal
The Fairey Seal was a British carrier-borne spotter-reconnaissance aircraft, operated in the 1930s. The Seal was derived – like the Gordon – from the IIIF. To enable the Fairey Seal to be launched by catapult from warships, it could be fitt ...
, the
Blackburn Shark
The Blackburn Shark was a carrier-borne torpedo bomber designed and built by the British aviation manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was originally known as the Blackburn T.S.R., standing for ''torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance'', in reference to ...
, and the
Blackburn Ripon
The Blackburn T.5 Ripon was a carrier-based torpedo bomber and reconnaissance biplane designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was the basis for both the license-produced Mitsubishi B2M and the improved ...
.
Pre-war service
''Furious'' was assigned to the
Atlantic Fleet after commissioning in 1925, although she spent much of the next several years conducting trials for practically every aircraft in the
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
(FAA) inventory. These included landing and flying-off tests of Fairey IIID and Fairey Flycatcher
floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
s, with and without wheels, to compare various designs of wooden and metal floats. The lower flight deck was greased to allow them to take off with a minimum of difficulty. A Flycatcher fitted with wooden skids was also tested and behaved perfectly satisfactorily.
The arresting gear was barely used during these trials and it was removed shortly afterwards. Deck-edge
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymology
''Palisade' ...
s (
windbreak
A windbreak (shelterbelt) is a planting usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion. They are commonly planted in hedgerows around the edges ...
s) were installed in 1927 to keep aircraft from blowing over the side in rough weather.
The first carrier night-landing was made by a Blackburn Dart on 6 May 1926 aboard ''Furious''.
The ship was reduced to reserve status on 1 July 1930 in preparation for a lengthy overhaul at Devonport from September 1930 to February 1932, focused on refitting her machinery and re-tubing her boilers.
[Burt 2012, p. 270] In addition her quarterdeck was raised by one deck, the AA armament was revised and water spraying facilities were fitted in the hangars. Upon completion she ran a full-power trial on 16 February 1932 where her maximum speed was from a total of .
''Furious'' was recommissioned in May 1932 as part of the Home Fleet with a reduced crew before being brought up to full complement in November.
[Jenkins, p. 276] Transverse arresting gear was fitted sometime during the mid-1930s. She was detached to the
Mediterranean Fleet
The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...
from May to October 1934. ''Furious'' was present at the Coronation
Fleet Review
A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...
at
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...
on 20 May 1937 for King
George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
. She became a deck-landing training carrier in 1937, although she was refitted between December 1937 and May 1938 in Devonport, where the forward end of her lower flight deck was raised to make her less wet forward. During the
Munich Crisis
The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...
in September 1938, she embarked Nos.
801
__NOTOC__
Year 801 ( DCCCI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Emperor Charlemagne formally cedes Nordalbian territory (modern-day Schleswig-H ...
,
821 and
822 Squadrons and joined the fleet at
Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009
Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...
, before resuming her training duties after the peaceful conclusion of the affair.
She was given a more extensive refit from January to May 1939 that removed her 5.5-inch guns and palisades, mounted AA guns on her flying-off deck, plated in the doors at the forward end of the upper hangar, and gave her a small island on the starboard side. ''Furious'' resumed her training duties after the completion of the refit and continued them until October 1939.
![HMS Courageous (50)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/HMS_Courageous_%2850%29.jpg)
''Courageous'' was recommissioned on 21 February 1928 and assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet from May 1928 to June 1930. She was relieved by ''Glorious'' and refitted from June to August 1930. The ship was assigned to the Atlantic and Home Fleets from 12 August 1930 to December 1938 aside from a temporary attachment to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1936. In the early 1930s, transverse arresting gear was installed and she received two hydraulic
catapults
A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of store ...
on the upper flight deck before March 1934. ''Courageous'' was refitted again between October 1935 and June 1936 and received her ''pom-pom'' mounts. She was also present at the 1937 Coronation Fleet Review. She became a training carrier in December 1938 when joined the Home Fleet and continued on that duty until the start of the Second World War.
[Burt 2012, pp. 285–286, 290]
![HMS Glorious anchored](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/HMS_Glorious_anchored.jpg)
''Glorious'' was recommissioned on 24 February 1930 for service with the Mediterranean Fleet, but was attached to the Home Fleet from March to June 1930. She relieved ''Courageous'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in June 1930 and remained there until October 1939. In a fog on 1 April 1931 ''Glorious'' rammed SS ''Florida'' amidships while steaming at . The impact crumpled of the flying-off deck and forced ''Glorious'' to put into
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
for temporary repairs. She had to sail to
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
for permanent repairs which lasted until September 1931. Sometime in the early 1930s, transverse arresting gear was installed. She was refitted at Devonport from July 1934 to July 1935 where she received two catapults, her flight deck was extended to the rear, her quarterdeck was raised one deck and she received her multiple ''pom-pom'' mounts. ''Glorious'' also participated in the 1937 Coronation Fleet Review before returning to the Mediterranean.
Second World War
''Courageous''
![HMS Courageous sinking](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/HMS_Courageous_sinking.jpg)
In the early days of the war,
hunter-killer groups were formed around the fleet aircraft carriers to find and destroy U-boats. On 17 September 1939, two torpedoes from turned the tables, and ''Courageous'' became the first British warship sunk in the Second World War. As ''Ark Royal'' had been surprised by a near-miss seven days earlier, the fleet carriers were withdrawn from this duty.
''Glorious''
Force J, including ''Glorious'', was organised to hunt for the in the Indian Ocean. They were not successful, and ''Glorious'' remained in the Indian Ocean until December when she was transferred to the Mediterranean.
''Glorious'' was recalled to the Home Fleet in April 1940 to provide air cover for British forces landing in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
.
Gloster Gladiators
The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s.
Developed private ...
of
No. 263 Squadron RAF
No 263 Squadron was a Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of the First World War. After being disbanded in 1919 it was reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron ...
were flown aboard to be transferred to Norwegian airbases. ''Glorious'' and ''Ark Royal'' arrived off central Norway on 24 April where 263 Squadron was flown off and their organic aircraft attacked targets in the
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
area before ''Glorious'' had to return to Scapa Flow on 27 April to refuel and embark new aircraft. She returned on 1 May, after failing to load new aircraft because of poor weather. The task force was under heavy air attack by the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
all day and was withdrawn that evening.
''Glorious'' returned on 18 May with six
Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus (originally designated the Supermarine Seagull V) was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and manufactured by Supermarine at Woolston, Southampton.
The Walrus f ...
amphibious
Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to:
Animals
* Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water)
* Amphibious caterpillar
* Amphibious fish, a fish ...
flying boat
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
s of
701 Squadron and 18
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
s of
No. 46 Squadron RAF
No. 46 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force, formed in 1916, was disbanded and re-formed three times before its last disbandment in 1975. It served in both World War I and World War II.
World War I
No. 46 Squadron was ...
. The Walruses were flown off to
Harstad
( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the Harstad (town), town of Harstad, the most populous town in Centra ...
, but the airfield at
Skånland
Skånland ( sme, Skánit) is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1926 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Tjeldsund Municipality. It was part of the Central Hålo ...
was not yet ready for the Hurricanes and they were still aboard when ''Glorious'' returned to Scapa on 21 May. ''Glorious'' came back to the
Narvik
( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...
area on 26 May and the Hurricanes were flown off.
British forces were ordered withdrawn a few days later. The evacuation (''
Operation Alphabet
Operation Alphabet was an evacuation, authorised on 24 May 1940, of Allied (British, French and Polish) troops from the harbour of Narvik in northern Norway marking the success of Operation Weserübung (the German invasion of 9 April) and the ...
'') began in the north on the night of 3/4 June, and ''Glorious'' arrived off the coast on 2 June to provide support. She carried only nine Sea Gladiators of
802 Squadron and six Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers of
823 Squadron for self-defence, as it was hoped to evacuate the RAF fighters if possible. Ten Gladiators of 263 Squadron were flown aboard during the afternoon of 7 June and the Hurricanes of 46 Squadron were also flown aboard without any significant problems in the early evening despite having a much higher landing speed than the biplanes. This was the first time that high performance monoplanes without
tailhook
A tailhook, arresting hook, or arrester hook is a device attached to the empennage (rear) of some military fixed-wing aircraft. The hook is used to achieve rapid deceleration during routine landings aboard aircraft carrier flight decks at sea ...
s had been landed on an aircraft carrier.
[Howland, p. 61]
Captain
Guy D'Oyly-Hughes requested and was granted permission to proceed independently to Scapa Flow in the early hours of 8 June. On the way back across the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
, ''Glorious'' and her two escorting destroyers, and , were found by the two German battleships and . No
combat air patrol
Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...
was being flown, no aircraft were spotted on the deck for quick take off and there was no lookout in the
crow's nest
A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point.
On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by ...
. The German heavy ships sank all three British vessels with most of their crews, although ''Acasta'' managed to torpedo ''Scharnhorst'' before she was sunk. Only 43 men from ''Glorious'' survived.
''Furious''
Until 2 October 1939, ''Furious'' remained on training duties, combined with anti-submarine sweeps off the east coast of Scotland. She was then assigned to the Home Fleet to replace the sunken ''Courageous'' and sortied on 8 October with the fleet to hunt unsuccessfully for the ''Gneisenau'' and escorting ships which had been spotted off southern Norway. ''Furious'' departed her berth adjacent to the battleship in Scapa Flow for more futile searches for German ships on 13 October, the day before ''Royal Oak'' was sunk by in Scapa Flow. ''Furious'' served as the flagship for the convoy bringing most of the
1st Canadian Infantry Division
The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...
to Britain in mid-December 1939.
''Furious'' joined the Home Fleet off the coast of Norway on 10 April 1940 and her Swordfish made several attacks on German ships in Narvik on the following days. She refuelled at
Tromsø
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies ...
on the 14th and remained behind after the bulk of the Home Fleet departed on 15 April, her aircraft flying reconnaissance missions until ordered home on 25 April. Her port inner turbine had been damaged by the shock wave from a near miss on 18 April, and the damage was more serious than initially thought. After quick repairs, ''Furious'' returned on 18 May carrying the Gladiators of a reformed 263 Squadron; they were flown off on 21 May once their base at
Bardufoss
Bardufoss is a town and commercial centre in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The three villages of Andselv, Andslimoen, and Heggelia together form the Bardufoss area. Bardufoss is located in the Målselvdalen valley n ...
was ready. She sailed to Scapa Flow once all the Gladiators had been flown off.
On 14 June, carrying only half of
816 Squadron for her own protection, ''Furious'' sailed unescorted for
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
carrying £18,000,000 in gold
bullion
Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...
. On 1 July she escorted a convoy of Canadian troops bound for
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
from Halifax and ferried over almost 50 aircraft, spare parts and munitions. On his own initiative, Captain
Troubridge ordered all available space should be used for sugar bound for Britain. She reembarked her aircraft upon her arrival and made a number of air strikes on shipping in Norwegian waters and on the seaplane base at Tromsø through October 1940. ''Furious'' loaded 55 aircraft in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
on 7 November and sailed for
Takoradi
Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...
,
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
, on 15 November where the aircraft were flown off on 27 November to reinforce fighter units defending
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. By 15 December, ''Furious'' was back in Liverpool, where she embarked 40 Hurricanes for Takoradi. She sailed on 21 December and joined up with
Convoy WS 5A
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
which encountered the on 25 December. The German ship was driven off by the escorts, and ''Furious'' reached Takoradi on 10 January 1941. She arrived in Britain on 5 February where she was given a brief refit. She made another ferry trip to Takoradi between 4 and 22 March.
Now with a new destination for her ferry trips, ''Furious'' transported two dozen Hurricanes to Gibraltar on 25 April where they were transferred to ''Ark Royal'' to be flown off for
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. She returned for another load of Hurricanes and arrived back in Gibraltar on 18 May. Some of these fighters were moved to ''Ark Royal'' via planks between the flight decks of the carriers berthed stern to stern. This time she accompanied ''Ark Royal'' and the two carriers flew off their fighters from a position south of Sardinia. She would repeat this ferry mission three more times from June to September 1941. In July and August, ''Furious'' and attacked German installations in the Arctic areas of Norway and Finland with limited success and heavy losses. Following her last ferry mission she was sent to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania, to refit.
''Furious'' arrived back in the UK in April 1942 and spent the next three months
working up. In August she was detailed to accompany the convoy bound for Malta in
Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal ( it, Battaglia di Mezzo Agosto, Battle of mid-August), known in Malta as (), was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was a base from which British ...
, but she was to sail with them only far enough to allow her 38 Supermarine Spitfires to reach Malta. This she did, just as ''Eagle'' was torpedoed, but ''Furious'' turned around after flying off her fighters and reached Gibraltar successfully. She loaded another batch of 32 Spitfires on 16 August and they were flown off the following day south-east of the Balearic Islands. After this mission ''Furious'' was sent back to Home Fleet for training. One last mission was necessary to reinforce the defences of Malta before
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
, and she arrived on 27 October. She loaded 32 Spitfires and launched them on the 29th before returning to Gibraltar to participate in Torch.
Providing cover for the Central Task Force, ''Furious''s aircraft neutralised the airfields at Es Sénia, La Senia and Tafraoui, both near Oran, Algeria. She remained with Force H until February 1943 before transferring to Home Fleet where she remained for the rest of the war. In July the Home Fleet demonstrated off the coast of Norway in strength to distract attention from the Allied invasion of Sicily; ''Furious''s role was to allow a German reconnaissance aircraft to spot the British ships and make a report then shoot it down. She was refitted in August and spent the rest of the year training.
[Burt 2012, p. 277]
On 3 April 1944, Fairey Barracudas from ''Furious'' and ''Victorious'' attacked the German battleship ''Tirpitz'' in Altafjord, Norway, as part of Operation Tungsten. ''Tirpitz'' was hit 14 times and needed three months to complete her repairs, although four aircraft were lost in the attack. The Home Fleet tried another attack on ''Tirpitz'' later in the month, but bad weather prevented any attack from being made. Instead the aircraft attempted to attack installations at Bodø, but found a German convoy instead and sank three ships. Three operations against targets in northern Norway, including two against ''Tirpitz'', had to be abandoned or diverted to other targets in May, but three German ships were sunk and two more were set afire. ''Furious'' and other carriers made another attempt to sink the ''Tirpitz'' on 17 July, but were unsuccessful against the fully alerted German defences. Four more attacks on ''Tirpitz'' were made in August, but only the attack on the 24th was even partially successful as two minor hits were made.
[Rohwer, pp. 314, 320, 322, 343, 350–351]
As the war progressed, the ship's age and limitations became increasingly apparent, and ''Furious'' was placed in reserve on 15 September 1944. She was paid off in April 1945 and used to evaluate the effects of aircraft explosives on the ship's structure. She was sold in 1948 for scrap, which was completed in 1954 at Troon.
Notes
References
*
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External links
Photo gallery of ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious''
{{Subject bar
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, portal2=World War II
, portal3=United Kingdom
, portal4=War
Aircraft carrier classes
Courageous-class aircraft carriers,
Ship classes of the Royal Navy
World War I aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom,
World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom,