List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy fleet aircraft carrier directory

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

Fleet carriers

HMS Argus

HMS Argus, 1918

HMS Hermes

HMS Hermes August 1938

HMS Eagle

HMS Eagle

Courageous class

HMS Furious

HMS Ark Royal

HMS Ark Royal in 1939, with Swordfish of 820 Naval Air Squadron passing overhead.

HMS Unicorn

HMS Unicorn 1951

HMS Unicorn was an aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier; an "aircraft maintenance carrier".

Illustrious class

HMS Illustrious

Implacable class

HMS Implacable 1944

Colossus class

HMS Triumph 1950

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.

Majestic class

HMS Hercules

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.

Audacious class

HMS Eagle

Centaur class

HMS Centaur

Malta class

Queen Elizabeth class (CVA-01)

Invincible class

HMS Invincible

Queen Elizabeth class

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 carrier
• List of amphibious warfare ships
• List of aircraft carriers
• List of aircraft carriers in service
• Timeline for aircraft carrier service
• List of aircraft carriers by configuration
• List of sunken aircraft carriers
• List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
• Aircraft maintenance carriers of the Royal Navy
• List of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy
• List of aircraft carriers of Germany
• List of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union
• People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force
• Fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy
• List of active French Navy ships
• List of active Spanish Navy ships
• List of active Italian Navy ships
• List of active Indian Navy ships
• List of active Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships
• list of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
• list of aircraft carrier classes of the United States Navy
• list of escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
• List of aircraft carriers by country

Notes

1. "INS Viraat bows out of service". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
2. Hobbs 2013, p. 291.
3. "Queen Elizabeth Class Facts and Figures". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 8 August 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
4. "Commissioning day for HMS Prince of Wales". Royal Navy. Portsmouth. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.

References

• Hobbs, David (2013). British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development and Service Histories. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-138-0.

External links

• Maritimequest Royal Navy aircraft carrier photo gallery