HMS Venerable (R63)
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.jpg) HMS Venerable
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Venerable |
| Ordered | 7 August 1942 |
| Builder | Cammell Laird |
| Yard number | 1126 |
| Laid down | 3 December 1942 |
| Launched | 30 December 1943 |
| Commissioned | 17 January 1945 |
| Decommissioned | April 1947 |
| Identification | Pennant number R63 |
| Fate | Sold to the Netherlands 1 April 1948 |
 Netherlands | |
| Name | HNLMS Karel Doorman |
| Namesake | Karel Doorman |
| Acquired | 1 April 1948 |
| Commissioned | 28 May 1948 |
| Decommissioned | 29 April 1968 |
| Refit |
|
| Identification | R81 |
| Fate | Sold to Argentina 15 October 1968 |
 Argentina | |
| Name | ARA Veinticinco de Mayo |
| Namesake | Date of the May Revolution |
| Acquired | 15 October 1968 |
| Commissioned | 12 March 1969 |
| Decommissioned | 1997 |
| Out of service | Inoperable by 1990 |
| Refit | 1969 |
| Homeport | Puerto Belgrano Naval Base |
| Identification | V-2 |
| Fate | Provided spare parts for Minas Gerais and remainder was scrapped at Alang, India, in 2000 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | Colossus-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement | 13,190 long tons (13,400 t) |
| Length | |
| Beam | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Draught |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
| Range | 12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Complement | 1,300 (including air group) |
| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 48(52) |
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.
Description
[edit]The Colossus-class was developed to meet a need for more aircraft carriers to protect the fleets of the Royal Navy. As the major naval shipyards were already fully occupied, it was decided to design a simpler "Fighter Carrier" (which later became known as an "Intermediate Aircraft Carrier" and then a "Light Fleet Carrier), which would be quicker and cheaper to build than the existing Fleet Carriers, and by using commercial rather than naval standards for the ships' structures, could be built by commercial shipyards (including the merchant divisions of major shipyards).[2][3]
Venerable was 695 ft (211.84 m) long overall, 650 ft (200 m) long at the waterline and 630 ft (192.02 m) between perpendiculars,[1] with a beam at the waterline of 80 feet 0 inches (24.38 m) and an overall width of 112 feet 6 inches (34.29 m),[4] and a mean draught of 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m), which increased to 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) at deep load.[1] Displacement was 13,190 long tons (13,400 t) standard and 18,040 long tons (18,330 t) at full load.[1] The ship's flight deck was 690 ft (210.31 m) long and 75 ft (22.86 m) wide, and was made of mild steel. The flight deck was served by two centreline lifts with dimensions of 45 ft × 34 ft (14 m × 10 m) with a capacity of 15,000 lb (6,800 kg), and had a single aircraft catapult capable of launching 16,000 lb (7,300 kg) aircraft at 66 kn (76 mph; 122 km/h). Ten arrestor wires and two safety barriers were fitted. A single hangar was provided.[5] The ship was powered by steam created by four Admiralty 3-drum type boilers driving two Parsons geared turbines, each turning one shaft. The machinery was laid out in a unit arrangement, with two sets of two boilers and a turbine being widely separated to minimise the potential for a single torpedo hit to completely disable the ship.[6] The machinery was rated at 40,000 shaft horsepower (30,000 kW), giving a speed of 25 kn (29 mph; 46 km/h).[5][4]
The carrier could operate 42 aircraft when built, while 84 aircraft could be carried when the carrier was used as an aircraft ferry.[5] Defensive armament of the Colossus-class was limited to short-range anti-aircraft guns,[7] with Venerable being fitted with six quadruple 2-pounder (40 mm) "pom-pom" autocannon, backed up by 11 twin and 10 single 20 mm Oerlikon cannon. Four 3-pounder saluting guns were also fitted.[8] Armour was limited to steel mantlets over torpedo warheads, although extensive subdivision of designed to minimise the effects of flooding.[6] The ship had a crew of 1300 officers and other ranks.[5]
Construction and career
[edit]HMS Venerable was ordered on 7 August 1942 as Admiralty Job number J3697, and was laid down at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead as yard number 1126 on 3 December 1942. The ship was launched on 30 December 1943 and was commissioned on 17 January 1945.[9] Venerable's build time of 25 months was the fastest of the class.[6] As with others of the class completed just before the ending of hostilities, HMS Venerable immediately headed to the Far East to join the 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron (Colossus, Glory and Vengeance) of the British Pacific Fleet. Each carrier had around 40 F4U Corsair fighters and Fairey Barracuda torpedo bombers on board.
After the end of hostilities, HMS Venerable repatriated prisoners of war to Canada and Australia, before returning to the UK. Venerable only served three years in the Royal Navy before being sold to the Dutch as HNLMS Karel Doorman. In 1968, after a boiler-room fire, she was sold to the Argentine Navy and renamed ARA Veinticinco de Mayo.
By 1990, she was inoperable, and she subsequently provided spare parts for her sister ship, Minas Gerais, which had been sold to the Brazilian Navy. The remaining part of the ship was scrapped at the Alang Ship Breaking Yard, India, in 1999 or 2000.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Chesneau 1998, p. 129.
- ^ Chesneau 1998, pp. 129, 130.
- ^ Hobbs 2013, pp. 182–184.
- ^ a b Blackman 1953, p. 258.
- ^ a b c d Hobbs 2013, p. 185.
- ^ a b c Hobbs 2013, p. 184.
- ^ Chesneau 1998, p. 131.
- ^ Hobbs 1996, p. 198.
- ^ Hobbs 2013, p. 194.
- Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54. London: Sampson, Low and Marston.
- Chesneau, Roger (1998). Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. London: Brockhampton Press. ISBN 1-86019-87-5-9.
- Hobbs, David (1996). Aircraft Carriers of the Royal and Commonwealth Navies: The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia from World War I to the Present. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-252-1.
- Hobbs, David (2013). British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development and Service Histories. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-138-0.
- McCart, Neil (2002). The Colossus-Class Aircraft Carriers 1944–1972. Cheltenham, UK: Fan Publishing. ISBN 1-90122-506-2.
External links
[edit]
- Maritimequest HMS Venerable photo gallery
- Karel Doorman, Netherlands Carrier
- Naval-History.net HMS Venerable
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