HMS Furious (47)

History

The origins of HMS Furious can be traced back to the days before the First World War (1914-1918), when Jack Fisher, 1st Lord of the Admiralty, claimed that there was a group of three with " battle cruisers". These ships have all the elements of a traditional battleship, but with reduced armor protection to make them faster in open water. In addition, their drafts were designed to be so shallow that they could be used in the critical fairways of the Baltic Sea.

The three warships that later became the Brave class, HMS Courageous, HMS Glorious and HMS Furious, were eventually converted into aircraft carriers and served with the Royal Navy at various stages of their lives.

HMS Furious - Basics and Walkthrough

HMS Furious was laid by Armstrong Whitworth on 8 June 1915 and launched for sea trials on 15 August 1916. Her completion was delayed in hopes of securing the Royal Navy's largest weapon, the 18-inch gun, which arrived later to complete her profile.

She entered service on 26 June 1917 and was given a pennant numbered "47" in the Royal Navy's battle list with the slogan "Ministrat Arma Furor" ("Furious Supply of Arms").

As designed, the ship carried two massive 18-inch guns, one forward and one aft, in two main turrets in the center hull superstructure. The extra firepower comes from the 11 x 5.5 inch gun in a single shot.

Gun mounts, 2 x QF 3" guns on a single gun mount (as an anti-aircraft measure) and 2 x 21" torpedo tubes.

The configuration file includes two mainmast approaches with a funnel in the midship. There were 737 crew members on board. Armor reaches 3 inches on the belt, 3 inches on the deck, 7 inches on the turret, 9 inches on the main turret, and 10 inches on the conning tower. The machinery installed consisted of 18 Yarrow boilers powering 4 geared steam turbines producing 90,000 hp on 4 shafts under the stern.

The maximum speed is 31.5 knots under ideal conditions.

Dimensions include 786.8 ft overall length, 88 ft beam and 24.10 ft draft. Displacement is 19,825 tons under normal load and up to 23,260 tons under full load.

Changes during the First World War

As early as March 1917, the nearly complete Fury was marked for conversion into an aircraft carrier to increase the long-range aircraft capabilities of the Grand Fleet. The work involved the complete removal of her front main tower and a 10-aircraft hangar and the addition of a short, sloping "takeoff" deck in its place (the hangar is located below the flight deck and accommodates wheeled and seaplane types ). The warship can launch aircraft, and aircraft management is handled by onboard cranes - although aircraft recovery was a real limitation in the earliest forms of warships.

Work ended in July 1917, and on August 2, 1917, the ship saw the first landing of an aircraft on a moving ship - a Sopwith Pup biplane controlled by Squadron Commander Edwin Dunning.

In November of the same year, the warship was returned to continue its aircraft carrier status. This involves replacing the rear main turret with a different hangar and flight deck combination, but the prospect of landing on a moving ship is better.

Part of the deck now connects the front and rear decks for better control of aircraft flow. However, the constant superstructure combined with new and existing deck work meant that the warship was exposed to excessive deck winds at high speeds, causing enough casualties to severely limit landings on board.

These changes make Furious a bit of an idiot, as it is now neither a battlecruiser nor an actual aircraft carrier. Nonetheless, she played an important early role in British carrier-based aircraft operations.

Their first aerial attack was on July 19, 1918, when the Sopwith Camels were fired at the Zeppelin shed, destroying two and two zeppelins. The First World War ended with an armistice in November 1918.

HMS Furious Reborn

The post-war world underwent a more complete reconstruction project, with major overhauls from 1921 to 1925, incorporating lessons learned from the Royal Navy's two earlier aircraft carriers, HMS Argus and HMS Eagle (elsewhere on this page are described in detail). During this overhaul, her superstructure was completely demolished and replaced by a continuous deck three-quarters length from fore to aft to stern.

An island-style superstructure was not provided (it was not added until an overhaul in 1939, and included a short mast with direction finding), but a two-story hangar area has now been constructed below the flight deck and can accommodate approximately 36 aircraft. Operations The team quickly grew to 795 employees.

Her new form has an overall length of 735.2 feet, a beam of 89 feet, and a draft of 27.2 feet. Displacement increases to 22,900 tonnes under normal load and 26,900 tonnes at full load. The same machine delivers 90,000 horsepower to 4 axles, but her overall speed is reduced to 30 knots. The range is 7,500 nautical miles.

Current armament plans include 10 x 5.5 inch single gun mounts and 6 x 4 inch single gun mounts - all more or less designed to protect the ship from aircraft attack.

Service in World War II

In September 1939, with the German invasion of Poland, the reborn HMS Furious served in the early and mid-war period. Furious, despite her age and apparent tactical limitations, is still in the game, serving in the British Home Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet, where she was an important part of the Royal Navy's early operations - especially in the Mediterranean (she was available from 1940 in the Fighters were used in the siege of Malta until 1942). Furious also participated in the Norwegian campaign in 1940, as part of various fighter groups arranged by the Royal Navy, supporting convoys and assisting the Allied landings in North Africa during Operation Torch in November 1942. In 1944, her aircraft attacked KMS Tirpitz, her last notable war action, before HMS Furious was placed in reserve status on September 15, 1944.

Her doomed structure was recently stress-tested against an RAF aerial bomb. In 1948, her peeling, tattered and tattered hull was sold.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing