The following is a list of fleet aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom .
There are two carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, currently in service.
Aircraft | The number of aircraft carried by the vessel |
Displacement | Ship displacement at full combat load |
Propulsion | Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated |
Service | The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate |
Laid down | The date keel assembly was begun |
Commissioned | The date the ship was commissioned |
Fate | Notes on what happened to the ship: sunk, scrapped, cancelled, sold or some other |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Argus (I49) (ex-Conte Rosso) | 18 | 15,775 long tons (16,028 t) | 12 cylindrical boilers; 4 Parsons geared turbines, 4 shafts: max. speed 20 kn | 1914 | 6 September 1918 | Sold for scrap 1946 |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Hermes (95) | 20 | 13,000 long tons (13,209 t) | 6 Yarrow small-tube boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 25 kn | 15 January 1918 | 18 February 1924 | Sunk 9 April 1942 by Japanese aircraft from the carriers Soryu , Hiryu and Akagi . |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Eagle (1918) (ex-Almirante Cochrane) | 25-30 | 26,000 long tons (26,417 t) | 32 Yarrow boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 24 kn | 20 February 1913 | 20 February 1924 | Torpedoed and sunk 11 August 1942, by U-73 |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Courageous (50) | 48 | 27,419 long tons (27,859 t) | 18 Yarrow small-tube boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 30 kn | 18 March 1915 | November 1916 | Sunk by U-29, 17 September 1939 |
HMS Glorious (77) | 48 | 26,990 long tons (27,423 t) | 18 Yarrow small-tube boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 30 kn | 1 May 1915 | January 1917 | Sunk by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, 8 June 1940 |
HMS Furious (47) | 36 | 28,500 long tons (28,957 t) | 18 Yarrow small-tube boilers, 4 shafts, Brown-Curtis geared turbines: max. speed 30 kn | 8 June 1915 | June 1917 | Sold for scrap 1948 |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Ark Royal (91) | 54 | 27,720 long tons (28,165 t) | 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 3 shafts, Parsons geared turbines: max. speed 30-31 kn | 16 September 1935 | 16 December 1938 | Sunk 14 November 1941 by German submarine U-81, off Gibraltar. |
HMS Unicorn was an aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier; an "aircraft maintenance carrier".
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Unicorn (I72) | 35 | 20,300 long tons (20,626 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers; 4 Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 shafts: max. speed 24 kn | 26 June 1939 | 12 March 1943 | Sold for scrap 1960 |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Illustrious (87) | 36 | 23,000 long tons (23,369 t) | 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 3 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 27 April 1937 | 25 May 1940 | Sold for scrap 1956 |
HMS Formidable (R67) | 40 | 23,000 long tons (23,369 t) | 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 3 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 17 June 1937 | 24 November 1940 | Sold for scrap 1956 |
HMS Victorious (R38) | 36 | 23,000 long tons (23,369 t) | 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 3 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 4 May 1937 | 14 May 1941 | Sold for scrap 1969 |
HMS Indomitable (R92) | 45 | 23,000 long tons (23,369 t) | 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 3 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 10 November 1937 | 10 October 1941 | Sold for scrap 1955 |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Implacable (R86) | 54 | 32,624 long tons (33,148 t) | 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 21 February 1939 | 28 August 1944 | Sold for scrap 1955 |
HMS Indefatigable (R10) | 54 | 32,624 long tons (33,148 t) | 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 3 November 1939 | 3 May 1944 | Sold for scrap November 1956 |
The 1942 Design Light Fleet Carriers were designed and constructed by civilian shipyards to serve as an intermediate step between the expensive, full-size fleet aircraft carriers and the less expensive but limited-capability escort carriers. Perseus and Pioneer were modified to operate as maintenance carriers.
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Colossus (R61) | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 1 June 1942 | 16 December 1944 | Loaned to France as Arromanches from August 1946, then sold to France 1951 |
HMS Glory (R62) | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 27 August 1942 | 2 April 1945 | Scrapped 1961 |
HMS Ocean (R68) | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 8 November 1942 | 8 August 1945 | Scrapped 1962 |
HMS Theseus (R64) | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 6 January 1943 | 9 February 1946 | Scrapped 1962 |
HMS Triumph (R16) | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 27 January 1943 | 9 May 1946 | Scrapped 1981 in Spain |
HMS Venerable (R63) | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 3 December 1942 | 17 January 1945 | Sold to Netherlands 1948 and renamed Karel Doorman II then later sold in 1968 to Argentina as Veinticinco de Mayo. Scrapped 2000. |
HMS Vengeance (R71) | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 16 November 1942 | 15 January 1945 | Transferred to the Royal Australian Navy from 1953 to August 1955. Sold to Brazil as Minas Gerais December 1956. Scrapped 2004. |
HMS Warrior (R31) ex-Brave | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 12 December 1942 | November 1948 | Loaned to Royal Canadian Navy 1946-48 and not commissioned into RN until November 1948. Returned to UK 1956 and modernised. Sold to Argentina as Independencia 1958. |
HMS Perseus (R51) ex-Ethalion ex-Mars | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 1 June 1942 | 19 October 1945 | Scrapped 1958 |
HMS Pioneer (R76) ex-Edgar | 48 | 18,330 long tons (18,624 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 2 December 1942 | 8 February 1945 | Scrapped 1954 |
The 1942 design was modified to take more modern aircraft and these ships became the Majestic-class. Not completed until after the end of the war, most ended up purchased by other navies.
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Majestic (R77) | 37 | 18,085 long tons (18,375 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines) | 15 April 1943 | 28 October 1955 | Sold to Australia in 1949, and completed in 1955 to a modified design including an angled flight deck and renamed as HMAS Melbourne. Sold for scrap in February 1985 to China United Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Dalian, China. |
HMS Hercules (R49) | 37 | 18,085 long tons (18,375 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | October 1943 | 4 March 1961 | Laid up till purchased by India in January 1957, renamed INS Vikrant, commissioned 1961, decommissioned 1997, scrapped 2014. |
HMS Leviathan (R97) | 37 | 18,085 long tons (18,375 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | October 1943 | Never completed scrapped 1968 | |
HMS Magnificent (R36) | 37 | 18,085 long tons (18,375 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | July 1943 | 7 April 1948 | Loaned to Royal Canadian Navy upon completion in 1948. Commissioned in RCN March 1948, returned to Royal Navy 1957 and scrapped 1965 |
HMS Powerful (R95) | 18,985 long tons (19,290 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | November 1943 | 17 January 1957 | Sold to Canada on 23 April 1952, then completed to a modified design with an angled flight deck and renamed HMCS Bonaventure and broken up in 1971 | |
HMS Terrible (R93) | 37 | 18,085 long tons (18,375 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 19 November 1943 | 16 December 1948 | Transferred to Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Sydney 1948. Sold for scrap on 28 October 1975 to Dongkuk Steel Mill Co. Ltd., Seoul, South Korea |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Eagle (R05) ex-Audacious | 60+ | 49,950 long tons (50,752 t) | 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons SR geared turbines | 24 October 1942 | 5 October 1951 | Sold for scrap 1978 |
HMS Ark Royal (R09) ex-Irresistible | 50 | 53,950 long tons (54,816 t) | 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons SR geared turbines | 3 May 1943 | 25 February 1955 | Sold for scrap 1980 |
HMS Eagle | 60+ | 49,950 long tons (50,752 t) | 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 shafts, Parsons SR geared turbines | 19 April 1944 | Cancelled January 1946 when 23% complete. Scrapped on slip. | |
HMS Africa | Cancelled |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Centaur (R06) | 42 | 26,200 long tons (26,620 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 30 May 1944 | 1 September 1953 | Scrapped 1972 |
HMS Albion (R07) | 42 | 27,800 long tons (28,246 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 23 March 1944 | May 1954 | Scrapped November 1973 |
HMS Bulwark (R08) | 42 | 26,200 long tons (26,620 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 10 May 1945 | 29 October 1954 | Scrapped April 1984 |
HMS Hermes (R12) ex-Elephant | 42 | 27,800 long tons (28,246 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 21 June 1944 | November 1959 | Sold to India April 1986, as INS Viraat, decommissioned. [1] |
HMS Hermes | 42 | 27,800 long tons (28,246 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 21 June 1944 | Cancelled October 1945, scrapped on slip. | |
HMS Arrogant | 42 | 27,800 long tons (28,246 t) | 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines | 1944 | Cancelled October 1945, scrapped on slip. | |
HMS Monmouth | Cancelled | |||||
HMS Polyphemus | Cancelled |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
HMS Malta | 80 | 56,800 long tons (57,711 t) | 4 or 5 x shafts Steam turbines 8 x boilers | Cancelled 13 December 1945 |
HMS New Zealand | 80 | 56,800 long tons (57,711 t) | 4 or 5 x shafts Steam turbines 8 x boilers | Cancelled 13 December 1945 |
HMS Gibraltar | 80 | 56,800 long tons (57,711 t) | 4 or 5 x shafts Steam turbines 8 x boilers | Cancelled 15 October 1945 |
HMS Africa | 80 | 56,800 long tons (57,711 t) | 4 or 5 x shafts Steam turbines 8 x boilers | Cancelled 15 October 1945 |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fate | ||||
CVA-01 (possible name HMS Queen Elizabeth) [2] | 50 | 54,500 long tons (55,375 t) | 3 x shafts Parsons turbines 6 boilers | Cancelled 1966 |
HMS Duke of Edinburgh (Possibly) [2] | Cancelled 1963 | |||
HMS Prince of Wales (Possibly) [2] | ||||
HMS Princess Royal (Possibly)[ citation needed ] |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Invincible (R05) | 20 | 22,000 long tons (22,353 t) | 4 Olympus gas turbine engines combined gas and gas, 2 Shafts | July 1973 | July 1980 | Sold for scrap 2010 |
HMS Illustrious (R06) | 20 | 22,000 long tons (22,353 t) | 4 Olympus gas turbine engines combined gas and gas, 2 Shafts | October 1976 | June 1982 | Sold for scrap 2016 |
HMS Ark Royal (R07) ex-Indomitable | 20 | 20,000 long tons (20,321 t) | 4 Olympus gas turbine engines combined gas and gas, 2 Shafts | December 1978 | 1 July 1985 | Sold for scrap 2012 |
Ship | Aircraft | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) | 50 [3] | Est. 80,600 tonnes (79,300 long tons; 88,800 short tons) Full Load [4] | 2 x Rolls-Royce MT30 Gas Turbines [3] | 7 July 2009 | 7 December 2017 | Active |
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) | 50 [3] | Est. 80,600 tonnes (79,300 long tons; 88,800 short tons) Full Load [5] | 2 x Rolls-Royce MT30 Gas Turbines [3] | 26 May 2011 | 10 December 2019 [6] | Active |
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a naval force to project seaborne air power far from homeland without depending on local airfields for staging aircraft operations. Since their inception in the early 20th century, aircraft carriers have evolved from wooden vessels used to deploy individual tethered reconnaissance balloons, to nuclear-powered supercarriers that carry dozens of fighters, strike aircraft, military helicopters, AEW&Cs and other types of aircraft such as UCAVs. While heavier fixed-wing aircraft such as airlifters, gunships and bombers have been launched from aircraft carriers, these aircraft have not landed on a carrier due to flight deck limitations.
The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slower type of aircraft carrier used by the Royal Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, the United States Navy, the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. They were typically half the length and a third the displacement of larger fleet carriers, more-lightly armed and armored, and carried fewer planes. Escort carriers were most often built upon a commercial ship hull, so they were cheaper and could be built quickly. This was their principal advantage as they could be completed in greater numbers as a stop-gap when fleet carriers were scarce. However, the lack of protection made escort carriers particularly vulnerable, and several were sunk with great loss of life. The light carrier was a similar concept to the escort carrier in most respects, but was fast enough to operate alongside fleet carriers.
The Invincible class was a class of light aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Navy. Three ships were constructed: HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal. The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platforms to counter the Cold War North Atlantic Soviet submarine threat, and initially embarked Sea Harrier aircraft and Sea King HAS.1 anti-submarine helicopters. With cancellation of the aircraft carriers renewal programme in the 1960s, the three ships became the replacements for Ark Royal and Eagle fleet carriers and the Centaur-class light fleet carriers, and the Royal Navy's sole class of aircraft carrier.
A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one-half to two-thirds the size of a full-sized fleet carrier. A light carrier was similar in concept to an escort carrier in most respects; however, light carriers were intended for higher speeds to be deployed alongside fleet carriers, while escort carriers were typically relatively slow and usually defended equally slow convoys, as well as providing air support during amphibious operations.
HMS Chaser (D32/R306/A727) was an American-built Attacker-class escort carrier that served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
HMS Nabob (D77) was a Ruler-class escort aircraft carrier which served in the Royal Navy during 1943 and 1944. The ship was built in the United States as the Bogue-classUSS Edisto (CVE-41) but did not serve with the United States Navy. In August 1944 the ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-354 while participating in an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. Nabob survived the attack, but upon returning to port, was considered too damaged to repair. The escort carrier remained in port for the rest of the war and was returned to the United States following it. Nabob is one of two Royal Navy escort carriers built in the United States which is listed as lost in action during World War II. The ship was sold for scrap by the United States but found a second life when purchased and converted for mercantile use under her British name, Nabob. Later renamed Glory, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1977.
The 1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier, commonly referred to as the British Light Fleet Carrier, was a light aircraft carrier design created by the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and used by eight naval forces between 1944 and 2001. They were designed and constructed by civilian shipyards to serve as an intermediate step between the expensive, full-size fleet aircraft carriers and the less expensive but limited-capability escort carriers.
HMS Venerable (R63) was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. She served for only the last few months of World War II, and in 1948 she was sold to the Netherlands and renamed HNLMS Karel Doorman, taking part in the military clash in 1962 in Western New Guinea. Subsequently, she was sold to Argentina and renamed ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, later taking part in the Falklands War.
HMS Perseus was a Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy during World War II. The ship was initially named HMS Edgar, but she was renamed in 1944 when the Admiralty decided to convert her into an aircraft maintenance carrier. She was completed in 1945, after the end of World War II, and she made a trip to Australia late in the year. Upon her return to the UK in early 1946, Perseus was placed in reserve. The ship was recommissioned in 1950 to serve as the trials ship for the steam catapult then under development. Over 1,600 test launches were conducted before the catapult was removed in 1952 and she was converted for use as a ferry carrier to transport aircraft, troops and equipment overseas. She was reduced to reserve again in 1954 and sold for scrap in 1958.
USS St. Simon (CVE-51), an escort aircraft carrier originally classified as an auxiliary aircraft carrier, was laid down on 26 April 1943 at Tacoma, Washington, by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, under a Maritime Commission contract ; reclassified as an escort aircraft carrier, CVE-51, on 15 July 1943; launched on 9 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. R. H. Lewis, the wife of Major General R. H. Lewis, Commanding General, Northwestern Sector, Fort Lewis, Washington; assigned to the Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oregon, for the completion of construction; and delivered to the Royal Navy, under lend-lease, on 31 December 1943.
USS Willapa (AVG-53/ACV-53/CVE-53) was a Bogue-class escort carrier built during World War II for the United States Navy. Never seeing American service, the ship was transferred to the United Kingdom as part of Lend-Lease. The escort carrier was renamed HMS Puncher (D79) of the British Ruler class and crewed by the Royal Canadian Navy with aircrew from the Fleet Air Arm. Primarily used as an aircraft transport, Puncher took part in operations along the Norwegian coast towards the end of the war. Following the war the ship was converted for mercantile service and renamed Muncaster Castle, Bardic and Ben Nevis, before being broken up in 1973.
The Tiger class were a class of three British warships of the 20th century and the last all-gun cruisers of the Royal Navy. Construction of three Minotaur-class cruisers began during World War II but, due to post-war austerity, the Korean War and focus on the Royal Air Force over the surface fleet, the hulls remained unfinished. Against a background of changing priorities and financial constraints, approval to complete them to a modified design was given in November 1954 and the three ships – Tiger, Lion and Blake – entered service from March 1959.
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) is the second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier and the Fleet Flagship of the Royal Navy. Prince of Wales is not fitted with catapults and arrestor wires, and is instead designed to operate STOVL aircraft; the ship is currently planned to carry up to 48 F-35B Lightning II stealth multirole fighters and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare, although in surge conditions the class is capable of supporting 70+ F-35B. The design emphasises flexibility, with accommodation for 250 Royal Marines and the ability to support them with attack helicopters and troop transports up to and larger than Chinook size.
Landing platform helicopter (LPH) is a term used by some navies to denote a type of amphibious warfare ship designed primarily to operate as a launch and recovery platform for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft. As such, they are considered a type of helicopter carrier.
HMS Unicorn was an aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. She was completed during World War II and provided air cover over the amphibious landing at Salerno, Italy, in September 1943. The ship was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean at the end of the year. Unicorn supported the aircraft carriers of the fleet on their operations until the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was formed in November 1944. She was transferred to Australia in early 1945 to support the BPF's operations during Operation Iceberg, the Allied invasion of Okinawa in May. To shorten the time required to replenish the BPF's carriers, the ship was based in the Admiralty Islands and in the Philippine Islands until the Japanese surrender in August. Unicorn was decommissioned and placed in reserve when she returned to the UK in January 1946.
The Royal Navy built three aircraft maintenance carriers for its Fleet Air Arm before and during World War II. The Abyssinia Crisis of 1934–35 demonstrated to the Admiralty that it needed a depot ship to support the aircraft carriers in active service, just like submarine and destroyer tenders supported those types. Begun just before the start of World War II in 1939, HMS Unicorn was the first ship built in any navy that could "carry out the full range of aircraft maintenance and repair work in addition to the ability to operate aircraft from the flight deck". Unicorn proved the value of the concept and two similar support ships, Perseus and Pioneer were converted into aircraft maintenance ships by modifying light carriers while still under construction. Unlike Unicorn, neither Pioneer nor Perseus were able to land aircraft; they had to be craned aboard.
The following is a timeline of fleet aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. The first British aircraft carrier was HMS Argus, a converted liner hull.
1850 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It formed in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick as a fighter squadron in August 1944, with Vought Corsair aircraft before joining HMS Reaper to cross the Atlantic. On arrival in the UK it expanded its aircraft absorbing part of the disbanded 1849 Naval Air Squadron. After working up at HMS Gadwall, at RNAS Belfast, HMS Gannet, at RNAS Eglinton and HMS Wagtail, at RNAS Ayr, the squadron undertook deck landing training on HMS Venerable during February 1945, before joining her sister ship, HMS Vengeance. The ship sailed for the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet and the squadron went ashore to HMS Valluru at Tambaram and HMS Garuda, at Coimbatore, in southern India in June for weapon training and dive bombing practice, becoming part of the 13th Carrier Air Group. With the end of the Second World War it returned to the UK and disbanded at HMS Siskin, at RNAS Gosport, in August 1946.