AdBlock Detected

It looks like you're using an ad-blocker!

Our team work realy hard to produce quality content on this website and we noticed you have ad-blocking enabled.

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Warrior

HMS Warrior leaving Plymouth Sound bound for the Far East 1953

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Warrior (R31)

When completed on 2 April 1945, the Colossus-class aircraft carrier HMS Warrior was lent to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Warrior. She remained in Canadian hands from 14 March 1946 until 23 March 1948.

Upon returning to British service, HMS Warrior was refitted at Devonport, where she was equipped with an experimental flexible deck. The concept of the rubber deck was to permit aircraft to land without an undercarriage, the impact of landing being absorbed by the flexible deck. Although successful it was not implemented and Warrior was paid off to reserve in 1949.

Re-commissioned in 1960, Warrior was used to transport troops and equipment for the Korean War. When she returned to the UK in 1955, she was refitted, and an angled deck installed, along with upgrades to the arrester system and catapults to enable the operation of aircraft up to 20,000lbs.

During 1957, Warrior was used as the headquarters ship for Operation Grapple the British hydrogen bomb tests. For this operations she embarked Grumman Avenger AS4s to collect samples and a flight of Westland Whirlwind helicopters. The Avengers became contaminated from flying through the radioactive dust clouds and were dumped overboard at the end of the operation.

Warrior was decommissioned on 28 February 1958 and sold to Argentina as ARA Independencia on 6 August 1958.

Photos of HMS Warrior

HMS Warrior in Service

Armament

Aircraft Operations

Fairey Firefly and Hawker Sea Fury

Westland WS-51 Dragonfly

Rubber Deck Trials

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Vengeance

HMS Vengeance

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Vengeance

Photos of HMS Vengeance

HMS Vengeance in Service

Completed on 15 January 1945, HMS Vengeance was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy. Vengeance arrived in Sydney Australia in July 1945, but was still in port when the Japanese surrendered and therefore saw no action during the Second World War.

Post war she was converted for Arctic conditions, and from 5 February 1949 to 8 March 1949 operated in Arctic waters as part of Operation Rusty: an experimental cruise to determine how well ships, aircraft, and personnel functioned in extreme cold.

When the construction of the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne was delayed, Vengeance was loaned to the Royal Australian Navy and commissioned as HMAS Vengeance on 13 November 1952.

Vengeance was returned to the Royal Navy on 25 October 1955, but was not reactivated. Instead she was sold to Brazil on 14 December 1956 and commissioned into the Marinha do Brasil (MB, Brazilian Navy) as NAeL Minas Gerais on 6 December 1960.

Arctic Trials

Aircraft Operations

de Havilland Sea Hornet

de Havilland Sea Vampire

Fairey Barracuda

Fairey Firefly

Hawker Sea Fury

Supermarine Seafire

Vought Corsair

Canadian Aircraft Carrier HMCS Warrior

HMCS Warrior (R31)

Canadian Aircraft Carrier HMCS Warrior

Laid down on 12 December 1942 as HMS Warrior, a Colossus-class light-aircraft carrier for the Royal Navy, the ship was loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Warrior. Commissioned on 24 January 1946, she lacked heating for some of the onboard equipment, as the Royal Navy had intended her to be used in the tropics where heating was unnecessary. Unfortunately, the Royal Canadian Navy operated in a much colder climate, which made her unsuitable for service in the north. Combined with defense cuts, it was decided to only operate one aircraft carrier (the other being HMCS Magnificent which would shortly be available) and Warrior was returned to the Royal Navy on 23 March 1948.

While operated by the RCN, Warrior embarked 803 (Supermarine Seafires and 825 Squadrons (Fairey Fireflies). In August 1947, the squadrons were re-equipped with Firefly Mark IV and Hawker Sea Fury aircraft.

After a period of service with the Royal Navy, she was sold to Argentina as ARA Independencia.

Photos of HMCS Warrior

HMCS Warrior in Service

Aircraft Operations

Fairey Firefly

Supermarine Seafire Mk XV