HMS Ark Royal

Desire na Pas Repos 

              "Zeal does not rest"

       Ships motto, HMS Ark Royal

On 16th September 1935 on a slipway at the Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead the 22,000 ton aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal was laid down, built to a unique design between the earlier Couragous class carrier and the later Illustrious class, its design incorporated several improvements from the Couragous class including 2 deck fully enclosed hangars allowing more aircraft to be carried and more lifts to move more aircraft at a time. It also carried an increased armament over its predessors with 8 x twin 4.5in DP guns, 4 x quad 2 pdr AA guns and 8 x quad .50in AA mgs, her aircraft complement was also impressive allowing for 70 planes, however she only carried at most 56 a mix of Fairey Swordfish, Blackburn Skuas and Fairey Fulmars. 

I finally was able to add the venerable HMS Ark Royal to my Royal Navy fleet, in game it brings an increased aircraft complement of 15 flights of aircraft over the 5 of the HMS Eagle from the Royal Navy fleet box, allowing you to strike with dive bombers and torpedoes much further away from your fleet

Though the model is an excellent representation of the 1937 configeration of the venerable carrier I was just a little disappointed that it does not include any  aircraft stands so going to have to source them seperately, hopefully the Ark Royal will prove to be a worthy counterpoint to my friend Marts US Navy aircraft carrier USS Essex, though with the Essex being able to carry 22 flights of Hellcats, Dauntless's and Avengers my 15 flights Swordfish, Skuas and Fulmars feeling a little outnumbered.

HMS Ark Royal began operations in WW2 with engagements off Norway which included the first carrier launched aerial and U-boat kills of WW2.

Swordfish attacking Bismark 

She went onto operations in the Atlantic ocean including the hunt for the Kriegsmarine battleship Bismark, where a Swordfish piloted by Lt Cdr John 'Jock' Moffat launched from her decks crippled the German warship's rudder allowing units of the Home Fleet commanded by Admiral Tovey aboard HMS King George V to destroy the German warship. The carrier then went on to serve in the Mediterranean. With Rommel's Afrika Corps suffering heavy losses in supplies from aircraft and submarines based on Malta Hitler ordered U-boats into the area and on 13th Nov U-81 commanded by Friedrich Guggenberger hit the carrier with a torpedo causing the ship to capsize and sink 30 miles from Gibraltar

HMS Legion taking off survivors as HMS Ark Royal lists heavily