Conrad Waters looks back over the career of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, which served two navies in a variety of roles.
At sunset on 6 March 2017 the Indian naval ensign was lowered for the last time on the veteran aircraft carrier INS Viraat. The ceremony marked the formal end of a 56-year career under two flags for a ship that was commissioned as the Royal Navy’s HMS Hermes on 25 November 1959. During this time the carrier achieved household fame as the flagship of the British task force sent to recover the Falklands following the 1982 Argentine invasion.
ORIGINS
HMS Hermes traced her origins to World War II and a massive programme of aircraft carrier construction intended to boost numbers of a type which was becoming recognised as the dominant factor in naval warfare. In 1942 no fewer than 16 small light fleet carriers of the Colossus and Majestic classes were ordered as part of a crash programme intended to remedy this deficiency.
With the immediate requirement met, attention turned to a new design that would be better able to accommodate the new generation of larger naval aircraft entering production. These inevitably required a bigger ship to accommodate them. The new design’s speed also needed to be higher to generate sufficient wind over the flight deck to launch and land heavier aircraft. Other changes included the incorporation of more powerful anti-aircraft armament and a degree of armour protection.
Eight of the new carriers were ordered in the summer of 1943. However, the extent of wartime demands on an overstretched shipbuilding industry meant that only four had been started when hostilities ended. Hermes – laid down as HMS Elephant at the Vickers-Armstrong yard in Barrow-in-Furness on 21 June 1944 – was renamed to take the name of one of the cancelled ships, thereby perpetuating the name of the carrier sunk in the Indian Ocean by Japanese forces in April 1942.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PROPULSION REVOLUTION
Jim Shaw summarises the efforts being made by the world’s shipping industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, and how these efforts are reshaping marine propulsion and vessel design in light of new IMO 2020 regulations.
THE HISTORIC FERRY BORE
Thomas Rinaldi profiles the historic motor ship Bore, now a combination museum and hotel ship docked permanently in Turku, originally built in 1960 by Oskarshamn shipyard in Sweden as the car/passenger ferry Bore for the Steamship Company Bore.
On duty from the Thames to Mesopotamia
Russell Plummer recalls the contribution made by excursion ships and ferry paddle steamers, large and small, during the two World Wars.
Space Ships
Patrick Boniface describes the ocean ships that recovered the space ships involved in the Apollo and Skylab missions of the 1960s and 1970s.
Hebridean Isles West Coast Stalwart
Marking her 35th anniversary in 2020, Caledonian MacBrayne’s long-serving stalwart Hebridean Isles can be found as one of two regular vessels serving Islay on Scotland’s west coast. Mark Nicolson looks at a vessel which is a popular sight wherever she goes, with her name appropriately reflecting the areas served by CalMac.
Spirit Of Discovery
Saga Cruises’ first new cruise ship in its history, Spirit of Discovery, made her debut in July. William Mayes went on board to assess the facilities on the new ship, which is arguably the most significant new cruise ship for Britain since Oriana of 1995.
Bravo!
Memories of the decrepit-looking cargo ship Bravoaltona arriving at Avonmouth in September 1976, and an awareness of a fleet of former Dutch ships with names commencing Bravo, led Malcolm Cranfield to research two different Greek-owned fleets.
The World's Biggest Ships
A decade and a half ago Ships Monthly reported on the world’s biggest ships and most have continued to grow, as Jim Shaw reports.
ACL G4 Class Profile Of The New G4 Class Of Con-ros
Matt Davies goes behind the scenes on Atlantic Container Line’s new G4 ships, which are the largest con-ros in the world.
A Great British Ship
SS Great Britain is a ship worthy of the name ‘Great’. When launched in 1843, she was the biggest ship in the world, had an iron hull and was fitted with a steam-powered propeller. James Hendrie describes her career, which ended with her being placed on display in Bristol, the city where she was built.
