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Invincible class aircraft carriers
HMS Invincible calling at Malta.
The invincible class carrier, was designed in the 1970's as an anti submarine warfare escort for the new large carriers to be built. The new carriers CV01 and CV02 were to have been the largest carriers the country had built. However, shortly before construction was due to begin, they were canceled. Mainly due to financial reasons.
This left the designers with designs for the Invincibles. The Invincibles were originally meant to be a large cruiser, at about 12,000 tons, capable of operating up to 6 ASW Sea King helicopters, to protect CV01 and CV02. The design then was altered. The displacement was increased to 20,000 tons and the helicopter capacity to 9. During this period, British Aerospace had been working on a VTOL (vertical take off and landing) fighter, the Harrier. So they evolved the design to accommodate 9 Sea King helicopters and 5 of the new Harriers. So now the United Kingdom would have aircraft carrying ships. But they were not referred to as carriers, rather as through deck cruisers to side step any political backlash there might be.
And so the Invincible class through deck cruiser was born.
HMS Invincible was completed just before the Falklands war, during a time of massive defence cut backs. Plans were on the table to sell the newly completed Invincible to the Royal Australian Navy and scrap HMS Ark Royal all together. This would leave only HMS Illustrious for the Royal Navy.
The Falklands brought a sudden change to things and HMS Invincible (amid talks with the RAN) sailed for the Falklands islands, in company with the flagship HMS Hermes. During the war, Invincible and Hermes provided much needed air support and strikes against the Argentine troops and aircraft. The Invincible excelled at her role as an aircraft carrier.
HMS Illustrious was rushed into service and was finished just one month after the war ended. She high tailed it down to the islands to relive Invincible and became the only Royal Navy ship, to be commissioned whilst sailing at 30kts!
After the war, it was admitted that the navy needed the carriers Invincible was not sold, and the carriers have all served with distinction, in Bosnia, the Gulf and more recently Kosovo and Seirra Leone.
Along side the Sea King helicopters, they can now operate RAF GR7 harriers. The GR7's would do air to ground strikes with the F/A 2's providing air cover.
During the history of the carriers, various modifications have been made. The Ski Jump, has been raised from 7 degree's to 11 degree's. The ski jump allows the harriers to take off with a larger payload.
The Sea Dart missile launcher has been removed, to allow for a new parking spot for the aircraft, increasing the available deck space by some 11%.
The carriers are now able to carry Upto 24 aircraft. Normally this will consist of 3 Airborne Early Warning sea king helicopters, 6 GR7 harriers and 12 F/A 2 Sea harriers.
From their humble start as cruisers they have evolved to be the flagship of the Royal Navy and highly capable ships.
HMS Illustrious at sea, with RAF GR7's emabarked.
Click here for the Invincible class image gallery
| Ship type: | Aircraft carriers |
| Class: | Invincible |
| Active: | 3 |
| Names: | Invincible (R05), Illustrious (R06) and Ark Royal (R07) |
| Displacement: | 20,600 tons |
| Length: | 685ft (209m) |
| Beam: | 118ft (36m) |
| Draught: | 26ft (8m) |
| Flight deck length: | 550ft (167m) |
| Flight deck width: | 44.3ft (13.5m) |
| Speed: | 28kts |
| Range: | 7000 miles at 19kts |
| Missiles: | Surface to air missile - BAe Sea Dart twin launcher (removed 1999-2000) |
| Guns: |
3 Goalkeeper CIWS (R05 & R06) 3 Vulcan Phalanx (R07) 2 20mm Oerlikon |
| Decoys: |
8 Sea Gnat 6 barrel dispensers Prairie noise masker |
| Radar's: |
Air search - Marconi type 1022 Surface search - Plessey type 996 Navigation - 2 Kelvin Hughes type 1006 Fire Control - 2 Marconi type 909 |
| Sonars: | Plessey type 2016 hull mounted active search/attack |
| Fixed wing aircraft: | Up to 9 BAe FA/2 Sea harrier and 6 RAF harrier GR7 |
| Helicopters: |
Up To 9 Westland Sea king HAS 6 (soon to be replaced by EH101 Merlin) and 3 AEW Sea King's Note: Upto 24 aircraft in any configuration can be carried. |
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