HMS Furious was a modified Courageous-class battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Fisher, the ship was very lightly armoured and designed to be armed with only two heavy guns (18-inch), one forward and one aft, plus a number of lesser guns. Furious was modified and became an aircraft carrier while under construction. Her forward turret was removed and a flight deck was added in its place, such that aircraft had to manoeuvre around the superstructure to land. Later in the war, the ship had her rear turret removed and a second flight deck installed aft of the superstructure, but this was less than satisfactory due to air turbulence. Furious was briefly laid up after the war before she was reconstructed with a full-length flight deck in the early 1920s.
After her conversion, Furious was used extensively for trials of naval aircraft and later as a training carrier once the new armoured carriers like Ark Royal entered service in the late 1930s. During the early months of the Second World War the carrier spent her time hunting for German raiders in the North Atlantic and escorting convoys. This changed during the Norwegian Campaign in early 1940 when her aircraft provided air support to British troops ashore in addition to attacking German shipping. The first of what would be a large number of aircraft ferry missions was made by the carrier during the campaign. After the withdrawal of British troops in May, Furious made several anti-shipping strikes in Norway with little result before beginning a steady routine of ferrying aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
At first Furious made several trips to West Africa, but she began to ferry aircraft to Gibraltar in 1941. An unsuccessful attack on German-occupied ports on the Arctic Ocean interrupted the ferry missions in mid-1941. Furious was given a lengthy refit in the United States and spent a few months training after her return in April 1942. She made several more ferry trips in mid-1942 before her aircraft attacked airfields in Vichy French Algeria as part of the opening stages of Operation Torch in November 1942. The ship remained in the Mediterranean until February 1943 when she was transferred to the Home Fleet.
Furious spent most of 1943 training, but made a number of attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz and other targets in Norway during the first half of 1944. By September 1944, the ship was showing her age and she was placed in reserve. Furious was decommissioned in April 1945, but was not sold for scrap until 1948.
Blackburn Skua landing on HMS FuriousBlackburn Skua crash on HMS Furious
Fairey Barracuda Operations From HMS Furious
A Fairey Barracuda being pushed to the lift on board HMS Furious April 1944On board HMS Furious a Fairey Barracuda of 827 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm being bombed up for a strike on the Tirpitz and enemy positions.Fairey Barracuda of 827 Squadron returns to HMS Furious during Operation GoodwoodFairey Barracuda of 827 Sqn taking off from HMS Furious with a 1600 lb bomb to attack shipping and installations off Norway.Fairey Barracuda taking off from HMS Furious to attack Tirpitz on 3 April 1944A Fairey Barracuda taking off from HMS Furious April 1944Fairey Barracuda landing on HMS Furious after an attack on Tirpitz on 3 April 1944A batsman bringing in a Fairey Barracuda of 831 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm on board HMS Furious Fairey Barracuda ‘revving up’ on the flight deck of HMS Furious April 1944Fairey Barracuda Taking Off from HMS Furious with Supermarine Seafire Mk. LIIIsHMS Victorious and HMS Jamaica seen from beneath the wings of Barracudas on the flight deck of HMS FuriousFairey Barracuda pilot of 831 Sqn, being helped with his harness HMS Furious whilst she was off the coast of NorwaySub Lieut C M Lock of Bournemouth is all smiles prior to take off in his plane Stormy Petrel to attack a convoy off Norway 6 May 1944Sub Lieutenant L J Journing of 831 Sqn fixing his harness before climbing into Fairey Barracuda on HMS Furious for attacks on enemy convoys off Kristiansund 6 May 1944
Supermarine Seafire Operations on HMS Furious
Supermarine Seafire Mk. Ib
Seafire Mk IB of 801 Squadron on HMS Furious
Supermarine Seafire Mk. IIC
Supermarine Seafire Mk.IIC fighters on board HMS Furious July 1943Supermarine Seafire Mk.IIC on board HMS Furious July 1943Supermarine Seafire Mk IIC of No 807 Squadron just airborne over the windbreak of HMS Furious during Operation Torch
Supermarine Seafire Mk. III
Fairey Barracuda Taking Off from HMS Furious with Supermarine Seafire Mk. LIIIsA Supermarine Seafire onboard HMS Furious, Aug 1944.