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HMS Eagle

1924 WORLD WAR 2

History of HMS Eagle

In 1911, before the First World War (1914-1918), the South American nation of Chile commissioned Armstrong's Elswick shipyard to build a "Super Dreadnought" battleship ("Almirante Latorre"), as well as a Standing option for a second boat. By August 1914, when all-out war broke out in Europe, the first battleship was in the late stages of construction and was quickly confiscated by the British government until it became the Royal Canadian Navy in 1915 (the second battleship in Chile was never completed).

On February 28, 1918, the ship was purchased directly by the Chilean government and selected for completion as an aircraft carrier.

The warship numbered "94" and named HMS Eagle was not completed in time for World War I - which ended in November 1918 with the surrender of Germany. Nonetheless, HMS Eagle continued her development program, with engineers spending time developing entirely new design qualities for the island's superstructure from 1920 to 1923, and her sea trials soon followed.

The final form retains the hull lines of the Super Dreadnought, but adds a continuous flight deck to the existing frame. As was custom at the time, the Long Island superstructure was moved to starboard. At the top of this structure are the communication systems and masts towering over the bridge and operations center. While her battleship origins made the ship slower than contemporary aircraft carriers, this provided seaworthiness in rough seas.

Internally, a two-level hangar arrangement was developed to facilitate the movement of fighter jets - of which 25 to 30 could be transported. Armament includes a 9 x 6 in (152 mm) gun and a 5 x 4 in (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun (AA). Dimensions include a length of 667.5 feet, a beam of 115 feet and a draft of 26.7 feet.

Displacement under standard load is 22,200 tons.

There is a staff of about 790 people inside. Armor protection ranges from 4.5" on the belt and 1.5" on the deck to 4" on the bulkhead. 32 x water tube boilers are used to generate the required power for 4 x gear steam turbines which drive 50,000 hp on 4 x shafts under the stern.

Top speed in ideal conditions is 24 knots and range is up to 4,800 nautical miles.

The HMS Eagle, commissioned on 20 February 1924, spent much of the interwar period in the Far East monitoring the protection of various British interests and otherwise acting as a deterrent. She was discovered in the Indian Ocean in 1939, but stayed until 1940, when she was transferred to the Mediterranean to make up for the loss of HMS Glorious (sunk on 8 June 1940). In July 1940, her planes were used to bomb enemy positions in Tobruk (she did not carry fighter jets due to the lack of this type of fighter jets in Fleet Aviation).

From there she took part in various offensive operations and served as escort support on the front lines in Malta, Greece and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean. During the Battle of Calabria (9 July 1940), the warship was so badly damaged by enemy bombers that it missed the famous attack on Taranto (11-12 November 1940) ).

From March 1941, she was used to patrol the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans, where she took few enemy targets. In October, she returned to her home waters for a much-needed overhaul and was sent to Malta in early 1942 to deliver fighter jets.

In August, she mustered one of more than 40 warships to fight the siege and paid the ultimate price for her exploits - capturing four torpedoes from the German submarine U-73 (11 August 1942). Her sinking lasted only four minutes and claimed the lives of 131 people and most of the warplanes she boarded.

However, the escort ship rescued 929 people that day.