The aircraft carrier that never was

BBC News ^ | July 2, 2014 | By Nick Childs

[sukhoi-30mki]

The Queen is about to name the first of the UK's controversial new-generation aircraft carriers in a ceremony at Rosyth. But a plan for a super-carrier five decades ago ended in acrimony.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is a major milestone for the Royal Navy and for British defence.

It also provides a strong echo with the past, and the Royal Navy's last - failed - bid for a new-generation of full-size aircraft carriers half a century ago. The first of those ships was designated CVA-01. Like the new ship, she would have been called HMS Queen Elizabeth. But she was the carrier that never was.

Pretty much all that remains of her - apart from a few architect drawings and artist impressions - is a model in a storeroom at the Fleet Air Arm museum at Yeovilton. But her saga has huge resonance for today.

Like the new HMS Queen Elizabeth, she would have been the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy. About the same size, at 55,000 tons compared with 65,000 tons for today's ship, 963ft long compared with 930ft, and capable of carrying about 40 aircraft.

Meant to replace the navy's then ageing carrier fleet, she would have been a radical new design for her day, with a new 3D radar, a novel flight deck arrangement, and other innovations. Like the new carriers, she was also hugely controversial and the subject of bitter inter-service rivalry, with arguments over whether she was too large and too ambitious.

But, unlike the new ships, she was cancelled in 1966 before an order was ever placed.

[tanknetter]

Pre War. Not predictable war. I hate autocorrect ...

[MasterGunner01]

Do NOT underestimate the Brits when it comes to the world of carrier aviation. They were the first in carrier aviation. The Royal Navy converted the battle cruiser HMS Furious to carry and launch aircraft (1917); the RN commissioned the world's first dedicated aircraft carrier, HMS Argus, in 1918; the RN installed flight deck armor (1936), but it did not appear in the US Navy until the USS Midway (CV-41) of 1945. The RN developed major aids to naval aviation safety including the mirror landing system on HMS Illustrious and HMS Indomitable in 1954; steam catapult on HMS Perseus in 1950; and angled (or canted) flight deck aboard HMS Centaur in 1954. The RN innovations of the MLS, angled deck, and steam catapult were aided in development in conjunction with the US Navy.

USS Antietam (CV-36) tested a rudimentary sponson for angled deck operations in 1952 and those tests were shared by both navies before HMS Triumph's conversion. Angled deck conversions of USS Essex (CV-9) and USS Midway (CV-41) were approved in 1955. USS Forrestal (CV-59) was the first carrier built with an angled flight deck in 1955.

The Mirror Landing Systems and steam catapults began installation aboard USS Oriskany (CV-34), Midway-class carriers, USS Forrestal (CV-59) and USS Saratoga (CV-60) beginning in 1955.

[Tony in Hawaii]

Or, depending on your point of view, the great-grandson of the Il-2 Sturmovik.

[X Fretensis]

Brits are also responsible for the enclosed bow under the forward flight deck.

[MasterGunner01]

You are absolutely correct. The Brits introduced the “hurricane bow” to their carriers beginning with HMS Hermes in 1924. US Navy battle cruiser-to-aircraft carrier conversion USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3) were delivered with hurricane bows in 1927.

The WW2 Royal Navy fleet carriers — the HMS Ark Royal, HMS Eagle class, HMS Indomitable class, and HMS Illustrious class employed hurricane bows. But, all USN carriers of WW2 — CV, CVB, CVL, and CVE — did not use them. Instead, the open areas of the bow and stern underneath the flight deck overhangs were given over to anti-aircraft guns.

Hurricane bows were not fitted to US Navy carriers until the SCB-125 modernization program if the mid-1950s that were applied to the Essex (CV-9) and Midway (CV-41) classes. The first Forrestal class super carriers, USS Forrestal (CV-59) and USS Saratoga (CV-60) were built with hurricane bows.

[tanknetter]

The WW2 Royal Navy fleet carriers — the HMS Ark Royal, HMS Eagle class, HMS Indomitable class, and HMS Illustrious class employed hurricane bows. But, all USN carriers of WW2 — CV, CVB, CVL, and CVE — did not use them. Instead, the open areas of the bow and stern underneath the flight deck overhangs were given over to anti-aircraft guns.

The driving reason for this is that in the Brit carriers the armored deck was the strength deck. For the Americans the strength deck was the hangar deck, with the flight deck built on top of it.

The hurricane bow was backfitted into the Essex and Midway classes as a matter of convenience, following experience operating carriers in both the Pacific during the War and the North Atlantic afterwards. At least one US open-bow carrier (Hornet, I think), had its forward flight deck collapse while steaming through a Typhoon.

The hurricane bow became a necessity with the Forrestal class, which followed Brit practice and had the flight deck as the strength deck. Interesting enough, there's an engineering design trick (allegedly still classified) that allows US supercarriers to have the flight deck as the strength deck while also having four(with the Ford Class, three) large holes cut in the sides of the hull to accommodate the deck-edge elevators.

[MasterGunner01]

Another reason for going to the hurricane bow on the Essex and Midway class carriers was the removal of all of their 3”/50 RF AA guns and most of their 5-inch guns. With the exception of USS Boxer and USS Princeton that stayed straight deck helicopter assault carriers, the conversion of the Essex and Midway class carriers under SCB-125 and SCB-110 resulted in major changes.

Essex (SCB-125): reconfiguration of island; fitting hurricane bow; removal of all 3”/50 RF guns and four twin 5”/38 guns [8 5”/38 single open mount guns remain]; mirror landing system fitted; steam cats fitted.

Midway (SCB-110): reconfiguration of island; fitting hurricane bow; removal of six 5”/54 Mk 39 guns [8 5”/54 guns remain]; mirror landing system fitted; steam cats fitted.

[MasterGunner01]

Add to Midway (SCB-110): removal of all 3”/50 RF guns.

[Rich21IE]

If I’m a great mind...we got serious problems!