Color Pics of Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers (Image Heavy)

[Doomlock]

Hi guys! So you guys really wanted the British trifecta from me huh? Well as per the poll from the last post, here are the Royal Navy aircraft carriers you guys wanted! New poll above for what you'd like next, I scoured my photos and found a few more for you guys to choose. Pics are from here: http://blog.livedoor.jp/irootoko_jr/ as per usual. Let's get this show on the seas!

 

 

 

Wait huh? Doomlock, were't you doing Royal Navy aircraft carriers? I hear you ask. Well HMS Furious was one, technically Britain's first from a certain point of view. Anyway, a good starboard beam shot showing the flyoff platform built forward of the bridge.

 

Here we see the stern of Furious (Still love that name she had) showing off her single 18 inch gun in 1917. Even though she had that big gun, she never used it. She got famous another way...

 

History being made. Aboard Furious on August 2, 1917, Squadron Commander Edwin Harris Dunning landed his Sopwith Pup biplane on Furious's flight deck, making it the first plane ever to be landed on a moving ship in Scapa Flow, Orkney, Scotland.

 

Furious in 1918 after reconstruction. She has a full flight deck now and has had her 18 inch gun removed. Also she's painted up with some camouflage.

 

I'll get back to Furious later. For now HMS Argus, Britain's first true aircraft carrier, she set the bar for aircraft carrier design for the decades to come.

 

Another shot of Argus looking simply dazzling! What? I make jokes on these posts what did you expect? Oh also Furious is in the background, guess it's time for...

 

Furious round 2, in her final, full CV configuration, 1942. An imposing port bow shot of her showing plenty of detail and a nice camo scheme.

 

HMS Courageous having the unfortunate distinction of being the first warship sunk by the Germans in WWII, by the highly successful submarine U-29. She was torpedoed on the port side by 2 torpedoes and capsized and sank in 20 minutes, taking 519, including the captain with her.

 

HMS Glorious, has another unfortunate history assigned to her as she was hunted down and sunk by the terrible sisters Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. She spent the rest of 1939 after the war started in the Indian Ocean hunting the Admiral Graf Spee before returning to the Mediterranean. She was recalled in 1940 to Norway to help with operations there. While evacuating troops in June, she was pounced on by the two battleships and was quickly sunk by gunfire, taking with her 1,207 men, plus the destroyers HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta with their 152 men lost and 160 men lost respectively.

 

HMS Eagle, seen in this port beam shot taken in 1937. Eagle had a long and extensive career in WWII and saw action in the Indian Ocean, Atlantic, and in the Mediterranean with the Battle of Malta. 

 

HMS Hermes, the world's first purpose designed aircraft carrier (Hōshō was first to be launched and commissioned into service). She saw service in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean. She saw her end when she transferred to the Pacific to Ceylon, then Trincomalee where she was berthed when a warning of a Japanese fleet came. She sailed for the Maldives that day with no aircraft aboard. 

She was spotted by a Japanese scout plane the next day near Batticaloa and was attacked by divebombers shortly thereafter. With no air cover she was quickly sunk by the bombers, taking 307 men with her. Most of the survivors were picked up by a nearby hospital ship.

 

The one, the only, HMS Ark Royal featuring a flight of a Swordfish 1 of the No. 820 Squadron, 1939. Ark Royal, what more do I have to say? She and her aircraft were instrumental in the sinking of Bismarck and we all know that story. Though she met her fate not too long after. On October 10th, 1941, she was hit by a single torpedo from U-81 which tore a huge hole amidships and killed one crewman. As a result of poor damage control, running the engines longer than they should have tearing the hole even bigger, and open hatches due to the call to abandon ship, she capsized to 90° before fully capsizing and breaking in two with the stern section sinking first.

 

The carrier that needs no introduction, HMS Illustrious, looking simply illustrious from this bow on shot taken from likely a just-launched aircraft. These were some of the best carriers Britain ever produced, despite their limited aircraft capacity; a side effect of the heavy armor (For a carrier) put aboard these ships.

 

And finally we see a great shot of a Fairey Albacore taking off of Illustrious-class carrier HMS Indomitable in the Mediterranean on August 10, 1942. The picture was taken from the deck of her sister HMS Victorious and HMS Eagle can be seen in the distance with her towering island bridge.

 

 

 

And that is all guys, I hope you enjoy them! Again let me know what colorized pics you want to see next. 

Fair winds and following seas captains! 

[KommandantJaeger]

Be careful not to sneeze on hermes or Eagle. They might capsize...

[Doomlock]

Be careful not to sneeze on hermes or Eagle. They might capsize...

 

They do look pretty top heavy don't they?

[BladedPheonix]

I'm interested in some Spanish ships, in fact I didn't know they even had any color photos...

 

[Doomlock]

I'm interested in some Spanish ships, in fact I didn't know they even had any color photos...

 

Colorized, these are all black and whites colorized by the guy in the link in the OP. Very good colorizations I must say.

[CG59]

Why are American Cruisers not listed as an option for the poll?

Edit: 

Oops I read that poll as what comes into game next not which one you review next. Sorry. But could you give us some USN CA action? please...

[Doomlock]

Why are American Cruisers not listed as an option for the poll?

 

Because I've already done them friend, here: http://forum.worldofwarships.com/index.php?/topic/109088-colorized-pics-of-uss-new-orleans-portland-indianapolis-newport-news-salem-and-alaska-image-heavy/

[Doomlock]

I've done the Armada Española. http://forum.worldofwarships.com/index.php?/topic/111830-color-pics-of-the-armada-espanola-spanish-navyimage-heavy/

 

Poll has been edited to reflect the new post. (Removed Armada Española as an option)

[aethervox]

Nice Illustrations, OP.

 I hope to see Bri CVs in the game asap.

As to your poll - what is that doing here? I voted for Rus BBs, btw (a 2nd choice was the A-H ships).

[Doomlock]

Nice Illustrations, OP.

 I hope to see Bri CVs in the game asap.

As to your poll - what is that doing here? I voted for Rus BBs, btw (a 2nd choice was the A-H ships).

 

Its for you guys to determine which colorized pictures you want to see next. The link in my signature will direct you to all the picture posts I have done. Since this one I have done, the Armada Espanola (Spanish Navy), Japanese heavy cruisers, early Japanese battleships, and Russian battleships.