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The ''Audacious''-class aircraft carriers were a class of
The ''Audacious'' class was originally designed as an expansion of the with double storied hangars. However, it was realised that the hangar height would not be sufficient for the new aircraft that were expected to enter service, so the design was considerably enlarged.
Four ships were laid down between 1942 and 1943 during
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 proposed by the British government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
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, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
in the 1930s - 1940s and completed after the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The two ships built were heavily modified and diverged over their service lives. They were in operation from 1951 until 1979.
History
The ''Audacious'' class was originally designed as an expansion of the with double storied hangars. However, it was realised that the hangar height would not be sufficient for the new aircraft that were expected to enter service, so the design was considerably enlarged.
Four ships were laid down between 1942 and 1943 during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as part of the British naval buildup - ''Africa'', ''Irresistible'', ''Audacious'' and ''Eagle''. At the end of hostilities ''Africa'' and ''Eagle'' were cancelled. Work on the remaining two was suspended. They would be renamed and built to differing designs in the 1950s.
As the builds of ''Audacious'' (renamed ''Eagle'') and ''Irresistible'' (renamed ''Ark Royal'') progressed they differed so much that they effectively became the lead (and sole) ships of each of their own classes. They formed the backbone of the postwar carrier fleet, and were much modified.
Ships in class
References
Further reading
* Ireland, Bernard. ''The Illustrated Guide to Aircraft Carriers of the World''. Hermes House, London, 2005. *Johnstone-Bryden, Richard. ''Britain's Greatest Warship: HMS "Ark Royal IV"''. Sutton Publishing Ltd., Stroud, 2000.External links
* {{WWII British ships Aircraft carrier classes Audacious class aircraft carrier Abandoned military projects of the United Kingdom Ship classes of the Royal Navy