Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:01:00-1:08:19

The Royal Navy's surviving postwar carrier fleet

Britain's crowded postwar carrier fleet included worn wartime ships and newer hulls worth developing for the jet age.

Audacious Class Aircraft CarriersColossus Class Aircraft CarriersIllustrious Class Aircraft CarriersImplacable Class Aircraft CarriersMajestic Class Aircraft CarriersMalta Class Aircraft CarriersPostwar Royal Navy
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

What did the Royal Navy have as its surviving postwar carrier fleet before considering further construction?

Short answer

The survivors included the Illustrious and Implacable classes, Unicorn and the elderly Furious and Argus, with Colossus and Majestic light carriers coming into service. The proposed plan retires the worn Illustrious class from front-line service and retains the Implacables temporarily.

Notes

Britain entered the postwar period with several carrier classes whose different air-group sizes complicated logistics, training and combined operations. The proposed replacement programme begins by treating the worn Illustrious class as temporary training and reserve ships, with Illustrious herself preserved as a museum. Their low hangars and armoured box structure make major changes difficult, as Victorious's expensive reconstruction illustrates. The newer, larger Implacables retain enough machinery life to provide an interim operational force. Light carriers and the unfinished Audacious ships then support the transition toward the planned Malta class.