Historic Naval Images

[MikeJames]

Al Pew's favourite vessel, the French Naval Ship Hoche!

Hoche commissioned in 1890, had a short and undistinguished career and decommissioned in 1908, a victim of brutally fast change in naval capabilities that she could not match. Dreadnought anyone?



A painting of her launch in 1886



Mike

[MikeJames]

HMS Unicorn, the only aircraft carrier to conduct a shore bombardment when she used her four twin mount QF 4-inch Mk XVI dual purpose guns to shell North Korean coast watchers at Chopekki Point in 1951.

As always, open in a new tab for the full sized image.

Mike

[MikeJames]

1980s image of HMS Manchester coming alongside to RAS during typical North Atlantic winter conditions.



Mike

[littoralcombat]

Not sure which section to put this image in, but here it goes.
A recently constructed model of the scrapped Argentine Aircraft Carrier, ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, presented to the Argentine Navy to commemorate the Falklands Conflict of 1982.
Not sure of the scale but I'd guess possibly 1/64th, what do others reckon? Although the Aircraft could make her 1/72nd?

Construction of the real Ship was commenced at Cammell Laird in December of 1942 and she was launched in December of 1943. She was commissioned in November of 1944 as HMS Venerable.
Sold to the Dutch Navy in April of 1948 she was decommissioned in April of 1968.
She was then acquired by the Argentines in October of 1968, serving through to 1986 from when she was confined mostly to port with Machinery issues. A much hoped for refit never happened, but despite being deemed inoperable from 1990 she was not officially decommissioned until 1997.
Then used as a valuable source of spare parts for the aging Brazilian Navy Carrier Minas Gerais, until finally ending her life in an Indian scrap yard in 2000.

[Spartacus01]

It looks closer to 1/96 or 1/100. The model looks to be less than 3m long.

[littoralcombat]

The Majestic Class Aircraft Carrier, HMS Terrible on the building slip. Later to become the second Carrier to be operated by the RAN, HMAS Sydney.
She was the only Flat-Top built at Devonport Royal Naval Dockyard in Plymouth.
Nige

[littoralcombat]

The Audacious Class Aircraft Carrier, HMS Ark Royal, nearing completion at the Cammell Laird Shipyard, Birkenhead, 1954.
Clearly showing her deck-edge aircraft lift that helped distinguish her from Eagle, which never had one.
Unlike the two centre-line lifts, it only serviced the upper hangar deck. The only other RN Carriers to use this type of lift being the most recent HMS Hermes and of course the two current HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.
The lift on Ark Royal was short-lived though, and was removed during a refit in 1958/1959.
Nige

[MikeJames]

Its funny that the RN abandoned deck edge lifts for decades, given they have become essential to allow US carriers to undertake heavy flight deck operational tempos.

Mind you, the RN was never much interested in flight deck efficiency until they were dragged into it by the USN in 1943 and 44, and basically dumped the idea post-war.

Chalk that one up to different navy's doing things differently...just because.

Mike

[littoralcombat]

RN Battlecruisers, HMS Hood with HMS Renown following astern, 1935.
Nige