Design
In 1923, theConstruction
The deteriorating international situation by 1933, typified by Germany's rearmament and the expansion of Japan and Italy, convinced the British to announce funds for the carrier's construction in the 1934 budget proposals. The plans were finished by November 1934 and were tendered in February 1935 to Cammell Laird and Company Ltd., which calculated the cost of the hull at £1,496,250 () and the main machinery at approximately £500,000 (). The overall cost was estimated to be over £3 million (equivalent to £ million in ), making ''Ark Royal'' the most expensive non-battleship ordered by the Royal Navy. Construction began on Job No. 1012 when ''Ark Royal''s keel was laid down on 16 September 1935. ''Ark Royal'' spent nearly two years in the builder's yard before being launched on 13 April 1937 byArmament and aircraft
''Ark Royal''s armament was designed withService history
With the hunter-killer groups
The outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939 had been presaged by Germany'sAnother near miss
On 25 September 1939, ''Ark Royal'' helped rescue the submarine , which had been damaged by German warships off Horn Reefs, in theHunting the ''Graf Spee''
In October 1939, ''Ark Royal'' was redeployed toReturn to the fleet
With ''Graf Spee'' sunk, ''Ark Royal'' remained in the Atlantic for a short time before escorting the damagedNorwegian campaign
''Ark Royal'' and ''Glorious'' arrived at Scapa Flow on 23 April 1940 and were immediately redeployed as part of Operation DX, sailing to Norway with the cruisers and and screened by the destroyers , , , , and . This was the first time the Royal Navy had deployed carriers with the primary purpose of providing fighter protection for other warships. The ships took up position on 25 April off the coast; ''Ark Royal'' positioned offshore to reduce the chance of air attacks. The carrier's aircraft conducted anti-submarine patrols, provided fighter support for other ships, and carried out strikes against shipping and shore targets. ''Ark Royal'' returned to Scapa Flow on 27 April to refuel and replace lost and damaged aircraft, before heading back on the same day with the battleship as escort. During the return, ''Ark Royal'' came under air attack from German JunkersMediterranean deployment
''Ark Royal'' left Scapa Flow with the battlecruiser and three destroyers, arriving atSearching for ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau''
In early February 1941, the battleships and headed into the Atlantic during Operation Berlin on the orders of Grand AdmiralMalta convoys and Operation Tiger
''Ark Royal'' spent April alternating between covering convoys and delivering aircraft to Malta and forays into the Atlantic to hunt commerce raiders. By May 1941,Hunting the ''Bismarck''
On 18 May 1941, the German battleship and heavy cruiser beganEscorting the Malta convoys
''Ark Royal'' and the ships of Force H returned to Gibraltar on 29 May 1941. Despite the boost in Allied morale from the sinking of the battleship ''Bismarck'', the war in the Mediterranean was going against the Allies.Final voyage and sinking
On 10 November 1941, ''Ark Royal'' ferried more aircraft to Malta before returning to Gibraltar. Admiral Somerville had been warned of U-boats off the Spanish coast, and reminded Force H to be vigilant. Also at sea wasInvestigation
ARediscovery
The location of the wreck was undetermined until mid-December 2002, when the wreck was discovered by an underwater survey company, C & C Technologies, Inc, using a sonar-equipped autonomous underwater vehicle, from Gibraltar, at about depth. The company had been contracted by the BBC as part of a documentary onNotes
a. TheCitations
References
Books
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Poolman, Kenneth (1956). ''Ark Royal'': Wm Kimber & Co Ltd. * * * * *Websites
* *External links