I Love Kit 65307 1:350 HMS Ark Royal 1939

HMS Ark Royal (pennant number 91) was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War.

Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird and Company, Ltd. at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design differed from previous aircraft carriers. Ark Royal was the first ship on which the hangars and flight deck were an integral part of the hull, instead of an add-on or part of the superstructure. Designed to carry a large number of aircraft, she had two hangar deck levels. She served during a period that first saw the extensive use of naval air power; a number of carrier tactics were developed and refined aboard Ark Royal.

Ark Royal served in some of the most active naval theatres of the Second World War. She was involved in the first aerial and U-boat kills of the war, operations off Norway, the search for the German battleship Bismarck, and the Malta Convoys. Ark Royal survived several near misses and gained a reputation as a 'lucky ship'. The Germans incorrectly reported her as sunk on multiple occasions.

She was torpedoed on 13 November 1941 by the German submarine U-81 and sank the following day. Her sinking was the subject of several inquiries; investigators were keen to know how the carrier was lost, in spite of efforts to save the ship and tow her to the naval base at Gibraltar. They found that several design flaws contributed to the loss, which were rectified in new British carriers.

HMS Ark Royal (91) was a British aircraft carrier from the interwar period and World War II. The keel was laid for this unit in September 1935, the launch took place in April 1937, and the entry into service with the Royal Navy - in December 1938. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 240 m, overall width was approximately 29 m, with a draft of 9.6 meters. The full displacement, on the other hand, was about 28,200 tons, and the maximum speed was up to 30 knots. The aircraft carrier was able to board up to 72 aircraft, but actually operated 50 to 60 aircraft. The secondary armament consisted of, among others: 16 cannons of 114 mm caliber or 32 cannons of 40 mm caliber (the so-called pom-pom).

HMS Ark Royal (91) was built at the Cammell Laird and Company shipyard in Birkenhead, based on a design developed back in 1934 and taking into account the limitations of the Washington Treaty. The presented vessel was undoubtedly a novelty in the Royal Navy on many levels. First of all, it was the first British aircraft carrier whose flight deck was an integral part of the entire ship. From the very beginning, the unit was also designed to carry as many planes as possible, which was also largely successful. On the other hand, it was inferior in this field to, for example, the Japanese Akagi or Kaga units. From the beginning of World War II, HMS Ark Royal (91) was used extensively by the Royal Navy and took part in a large number of naval operations from the beginning of this military conflict. First of all, it took an active part in the operation in Norway in April-June 1940, but also in Operation Catapult (1940) in the Mediterranean. HMS Ark Royal (91) also took part in the Battle of Cape Spartivento (November 1940) on a limited basis. From the end of 1940 to the end of 1941, the carrier operated in the Mediterranean basin and most often covered British convoys bound for Malta. The unit was sunk in a torpedo attack by U-81 on November 14, 1941, near the base in Gibraltar. By the way, it can be added that the commander of the unit was accused of neglecting his duties after this fact and he was brought before a military court.