The following is a list of fleet aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.
There are two carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, currently in service.
Key Aircraft The number of aircraft carried by the vessel Displacement Ship displacement at full combat load Propulsion Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated Service The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate Laid down The date keel assembly was begun Commissioned The date the ship was commissioned Fate Notes on what happened to the ship: sunk, scrapped, cancelled, sold or some other
Fleet carriers
HMS Argus
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate (ex-Conte Rosso) 1812 cylindrical boilers; 4 Parsons geared turbines, 4 shafts: max. speed 20 kn 19146 September 1918Sold for scrap 1946
HMS Hermes
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate 206 Yarrow small-tube boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 25 kn15 January 191818 February 1924Sunk 9 April 1942 by Japanese aircraft from the carriers , and .
HMS Eagle
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate (ex-Almirante Cochrane) 25-3032 Yarrow boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 24 kn20 February 191320 February 1924Torpedoed and sunk 11 August 1942, by
Courageous class
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 48 18 Yarrow small-tube boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 30 kn18 March 1915November 1916Sunk by , 17 September 1939 1 May 1915January 1917Sunk by and , 8 June 1940 3618 Yarrow small-tube boilers, 4 shafts, Brown-Curtis geared turbines: max. speed 30 kn8 June 1915 June 1917Sold for scrap 1948
HMS Ark Royal
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 546 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 3 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 30-31 kn16 September 193516 December 1938Sunk 14 November 1941 by German submarine , off Gibraltar.
HMS Unicorn
HMS Unicorn was an aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier; an "aircraft maintenance carrier".
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 354 Admiralty 3-drum boilers; 4 Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 shafts: max. speed 24 kn26 June 193912 March 1943Sold for scrap 1960
Illustrious class
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 366 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 3 shafts, Parsons geared turbines27 April 193725 May 1940Sold for scrap 1956 4017 June 193724 November 1940 364 May 193714 May 1941Sold for scrap 1969 4510 November 193710 October 1941Sold for scrap 1955
Implacable class
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 548 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines21 February 193928 August 1944Sold for scrap 1955 3 November 19393 May 1944Sold for scrap November 1956
Colossus class
The 1942 Design Light Fleet Carriers were designed and constructed by civilian shipyards to serve as an intermediate step between the expensive, full-size fleet aircraft carriers and the less expensive but limited-capability escort carriers. Perseus and Pioneer were modified to operate as maintenance carriers.
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate 484 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines1 June 194216 December 1944Loaned to France as Arromanches from August 1946, then sold to France 1951 27 August 19422 April 1945Scrapped 1961 8 November 19428 August 1945Scrapped 19626 January 19439 February 194627 January 19439 May 1946Scrapped 1981 in Spain 3 December 194217 January 1945Sold to Netherlands 1948 and renamed Karel Doorman II then later sold in 1968 to Argentina as Veinticinco de Mayo. Scrapped 2000. 16 November 194215 January 1945Transferred to the Royal Australian Navy from 1953 to August 1955. Sold to Brazil as Minas Gerais December 1956. Scrapped 2004.ex-Brave12 December 1942November 1948Loaned to Royal Canadian Navy 1946-48 and not commissioned into RN until November 1948. Returned to UK 1956 and modernised. Sold to Argentina as Independencia 1958.ex-Edgar1 June 194219 October 1945Scrapped 1958ex-Ethalion ex-Mars2 December 19428 February 1945 Scrapped 1954
Majestic class
The 1942 design was modified to take more modern aircraft and these ships became the Majestic-class. Not completed until after the end of the war, most ended up purchased by other navies. Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 374 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines)15 April 194328 October 1955Sold to Australia in 1949, and completed in 1955 to a modified design including an angled flight deck and renamed as HMAS Melbourne. Sold for scrap in February 1985 to China United Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Dalian, China. October 19434 March 1961Laid up till purchased by India in January 1957, renamed INS Vikrant, commissioned 1961, decommissioned 1997, scrapped 2014. Never completed scrapped 1968July 19437 April 1948Loaned to Royal Canadian Navy upon completion in 1948. Commissioned in RCN March 1948, returned to Royal Navy 1957 and scrapped 1965 November 194317 January 1957Sold to Canada on 23 April 1952, then completed to a modified design with an angled flight deck and renamed HMCS Bonaventure and broken up in 19713719 November 194316 December 1948Transferred to Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Sydney 1948. Sold for scrap on 28 October 1975 to Dongkuk Steel Mill Co. Ltd., Seoul, South Korea
Audacious class
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate ex-Audacious 60+8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons SR geared turbines24 October 19425 October 1951Sold for scrap 1978 ex-Irresistible503 May 194325 February 1955Sold for scrap 1980 HMS Eagle60+19 April 1944Cancelled January 1946 when 23% complete. Scrapped on slip.HMS AfricaCancelled
Centaur class
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 424 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines30 May 19441 September 1953Scrapped 1972 23 March 1944May 1954Scrapped November 1973 10 May 194529 October 1954Scrapped April 1984ex-Elephant21 June 1944November 1959Sold to India April 1986, as INS Viraat, decommissioned. HMS Hermes21 June 1944 Cancelled October 1945, scrapped on slip. HMS Arrogant1944HMS MonmouthCancelledHMS Polyphemus
Malta class
Ship Aircraft Displacement PropulsionFate 804 or 5 x shaftsSteam turbines8 x boilersCancelled 13 December 1945 HMS New Zealand HMS GibraltarHMS Africa
Queen Elizabeth class (CVA-01)
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Fate CVA-01 (possible name HMS Queen Elizabeth)503 x shaftsParsons turbines6 boilersCancelled 1966 HMS Duke of Edinburgh (Possibly)Cancelled 1963 HMS Prince of Wales (Possibly)
Invincible class
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 224 Olympus gas turbine engines combined gas and gas, 2 ShaftsJuly 1973July 1980Sold for scrap 2010 October 1976June 1982 Sold for scrap 2016 ex-Indomitable December 19781 July 1985 Sold for scrap 2012
Queen Elizabeth class
Ship Aircraft Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 50Est. Full Load2 x Rolls-Royce MT30 Gas Turbines7 July 20097 December 2017 Active 26 May 201110 December 2019
See also Timeline of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy List of escort carriers of the Royal Navy List of seaplane carriers of the Royal Navy Aircraft maintenance carriers of the Royal Navy List of aircraft carriers in service List of sunken aircraft carriers
Notes
References
External links Maritimequest Royal Navy aircraft carrier photo gallery