It is incorrect to call HMS Ark Royal or HMS Illustrious...Aircraft Carriers.
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It is incorrect to call HMS Ark Royal or HMS Illustrious...Aircraft Carriers.
Official title back in the day was IIRC "Through Deck Cruisers".
Wiki calls Ark a light aircraft carrier and having served on her for just under 2 years I cant argue with that.
The main argument must be: what is their primary role? If it is to fire on other ships/aircraft etc then Through Deck Cruiser may be justified, but if their main task is to carry and launch strike aircraft then surely they must be Carriers.
After all a Carrier that carries Commandos is called a Commando Carrier. One that carries 'Copters etc is an Assault Carrier.
What does Jane say about this? By Jane I mean Jane's Fighting Ships tome.
Well better than that Mike,I was informed (as were the boatload of harbour tourists) by the capitan that officially they were never called Aircraft Carriers...but hey I did see some liquid dripping from behind his ears.
If he is wrong then I will take umbridge and report the matter to his superior.
Confused from Gosport
I will check out my "Dumpy book of ships of the sea" and also my Observer's book ditto.
However, not being in the millionaire class - @ £1 385.25 for this last year's hard back copy, no wonder - I don't possess a "Jane's".
Definitely were Through Deck Cruisers before they were built, from memory I think there was some subterfuge with that description.
You're spot on, Gun. Following the cancellation of CVA01 in 1966, it was decided that Aircraft Carriers were much too expensive, hence the clever decision to call Ark and the rest Through Deck Cruisers, which would be within our price range. You know the old adage 'if it looks like a carrier, and flies off planes like a carrier, it probably is a carrier'. Just wonder which (if any) politicians were actually fooled. Yes, probably all of them... ;DQuote:
Originally Posted by pompeygun
Post 1948 R became the designated letter for RN pennant numbers of Aircraft Carriers. Invincible was R05. Illustrious R06 and Ark Royal R07. HMS Queen Elizabeth is R08 and HMS Prince of Wales R09. Scully if you ever see that young whipper snapper of a dockyard cruise captain again you can tell him from me that when Ark sailed for "supposed" Gulf war operations in 1991 we had at least 9 Sea Harriers and even more Sea Kings onboard too. Cant remember exactly how many as my memory has faded
just looking at a copy (my late fathers)of the Coronation Review of the Fleet,1953.
we had 5 Aircraft Carriers then..HMS's Eagle,Indomitable,Theseus,Implacable and Indefatigable.