HMS Hermes (95)

History

During the First World War (1914-1918) the British laid the foundations for several important components of modern warfare - namely "tanks" (then called "landing ships") and aircraft carriers. For the latter, experiments with launching and receiving aircraft culminated in 1918 at HMS Argus (I49). She was acquired (pre-war built as a passenger ocean line) and refitted to fit a full-length flight deck.

This arrangement then set the standard for carrier design in the 1920s. The ship has proven crucial in testing various components of carrier operations, including capture devices and fleet theory, combining the carrier type with conventional warships such as destroyers and frigates.

Following the success of HMS Argus, the Royal Navy attempted to complete the carrier with purpose-built models, thus launching on 15 September 1919. It was too late to act in World War I, and HMS Hermes was still prepared for the threat of the next decade. Its builder is Armstrong Whitworth.

Although the Hermes was the world's first truly "dedicated" aircraft carrier, it did not officially enter service until February 18, 1924. This forced the IJN Hosho into full service earlier when the Imperial Japanese Navy came online in 1922.

In November 1918, at the end of World War I, Helmer's slow path to commissioning was hampered - making the new warship a lower priority than it had been at the height of the war.

To speed up her construction, HMS Hermes mimicked the shape of a cruiser, so one of her early criticisms was her size, which limited the number of aircraft the ship could accommodate. The main deck lays on the hull and forms most of her strength. A 400-foot hangar area was added to the top of this structure, with the flight deck at the top. The most important is the island's superstructure, which contains her bridges and other key parts of the warship (including her mast). The entire island structure is set on the starboard side, a design feature already demonstrated on the larger HMS Eagle.

She has a standard operator of 566 (excluding flight crew) and armor protection ranging from 3 inches on the belt to 1 inch on the deck. Overall dimensions show a barrel length of 600 feet, a beam of 70.2 feet, and a draft of 23.2 feet.

Hermes has a displacement of 11,000 tonnes (standard) and a load down of 14,000 tonnes. Her propulsion system consists of 6 water tube boiler units powering 2 geared steam turbines driving 2 shafts with 40,000 shaft horsepower. In ideal conditions, she can go at 25 knots and cover 6,400 miles.

Since the Hermes is not a true warship per se, her armament matches her intended role on the battlefield - primarily defensive, as her aircraft will provide offensive weapons, while supporting Will come from attached surface ships around valuable ships. So she carries 6 x 5.5" main guns for light countermeasures against attacking surface ships, and 4 x 4" anti-aircraft guns (AA) for defense Airborne threat.

As planned, HMS Hermes has a limited aircraft transport capacity - typically 12 fighter jets. Carry up to 20 when pressed.

HMS Hermes had a rather low-key maritime career in the 1920s and 1930s, and she was reclassified as a training platform on 16 July 1938. It was only on the eve of World War II (1939-1945) that its value increased exponentially when it was surpassed in August 1939, just a month before Germany invaded Poland (September 1). She was subsequently returned to service and later that month received a dozen Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber biplanes for her airborne inventory.

In September 1939, with the war in full swing, Hermes used her aircraft to find and destroy the threat of German U-boats.

Interestingly, the merchant ship SS Mamari III was heavily modified as a decoy for HMS Hermes to confuse enemy observers about the true location of the British ships. The warship's career ended in June 1941 when she was sunk by a German aircraft raid in Cromer, Norfolk.

From the first shots of the war in September 1939, HMS Hermes was involved in various operations in the service of the Allies and the Royal Navy. She blocked enemy ports, attacked enemy ships whenever possible, and hunted down U-boats that threatened Allied shipping. She was also used to support ground troops offshore with her air force.

Her career ended in battle with the Japanese in Ceylon on April 9, 1942, when the IJN carrier attacked with fighter jets and dive bombers - her sinking took 307 crew members. The Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire was also missing in the attack.

Specification

Basic

Roles

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Performance

Armor

Wing