''Dédalo'' (Spanish for '' Daedalus'') was the first Spanish

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 ...

and the second aviation ship in the Spanish Navy (after the

seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

and

balloon ship A balloon carrier or balloon tender was a ship equipped with a balloon, usually tied to the ship by a rope or cable, and usually used for observation. During the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, these ships were built t ...

''Dédalo'' that took part in the

landings Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...

at Al Hoceima in 1925). She remained the fleet's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

until ''Príncipe de Asturias'' replaced her. ''Dédalo'' was formerly the World War II-era

light aircraft carrier A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one-h ...

USS ''Cabot'', which was acquired from the United States in the 1960s.

History

Spanish carrier Dedalo at Naval Station Rota 1976

In 1953 the Spanish government signed military agreements with the United States, which would be endorsed in the following years. The Spanish Navy studied several options to incorporate a helicopter carrier/aircraft carrier of North American design; specifically studied requesting the delivery of a Casablanca-class escort carrier ( USS ''Thetis Bay'') or an

Essex-class The ''Essex'' class was a class of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. The 20th century's most numerous class of capital ship, the class consisted of 24 vessels, which came in "short-hull" and "long-hull" versions. Thirty-two ships wer ...

aircraft carrier ( USS ''Lake Champlain'') or an Independence-class light aircraft carrier ( USS ''Cabot'' or USS ''San Jacinto''). Finally in 1967, after over twelve years in mothballs in the United States, ''Cabot'' was chosen and loaned to Spain. The loan was converted to a sale in 1972. ''Dédalo'' initially deployed with the Spanish Navy as a helicopter-only

antisubmarine warfare carrier An anti-submarine warfare carrier (ASW carrier) (US hull classification symbol CVS) is a type of small aircraft carrier whose primary role is as the nucleus of an anti-submarine warfare hunter-killer group. This type of ship came into existenc ...

operating the SH-3D Sea King and other helicopters from 1967 to 1976. On 8 November 1972 :es:Dédalo (portaaeronaves), a Harrier was successfully tested on the Dédalo deck, a first in the history of the plane. It was decided to order and deploy short-take-off-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) AV-8S Matadors (AV-8A Harrier) when ''Dédalo'' was overhauled. Since the Harriers' downdraft on vertical landing would have damaged the wooden deck, protective metal sheathing was installed on the rear area of the flight deck. The first batch of six AV-8S single seat and two TAV-8S two seat aircraft were delivered to the ''

Armada Española The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

'' throughout 1976. A second batch of four AV-8S aircraft was delivered in 1980. Unlike some carriers used for Harrier operations, a

ski-jump Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

to assist STOVL takeoff was never installed on ''Dédalo'', limiting the maximum takeoff weight of the Harriers. She then typically carried an air group of eight AV-8S fighters, four Sea King

antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typic ...

helicopters and four AB 212ASW Twin Hueys although Sikorsky S-55/CH-19s, AH-1 Cobras, and other specialized helicopters from the Spanish army, air force, and navy flew from her flight deck. During her Spanish service, ''Dédalo'' logged 1,650 days steaming, covering , registering 30,000 landings and takeoffs, losing an AV-8A and three AB 212ASW helicopters to accidents.Wikispaces.com
R01 Dédalo

Disposal

Replaced by the Spanish-built S/VTOL carrier ''Príncipe de Asturias'' in 1988, the ''Dédalo'' was struck by the Spanish Navy in August 1989, and she was given to a private organization in the U.S. for use as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

. However, that private organization was unable to pay its creditors, and on 10 September 1999, the ship was auctioned off by the United States Marshals Service to Sabe Marine Salvage of Rockport, Texas. The scrapping of the hulk was completed in 2002.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dedalo Independence-class aircraft carriers Ships built in New Jersey 1943 ships Aircraft carriers of the Spanish Navy Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Spanish Navy

History

Disposal

See also

References

External links