Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers Trivia Quiz

Answer: HMS Furious

HMS Furious was initially designed as a large cruiser mounting a pair of single 18 inch (457mm) gun turrets. While under construction, the forward turret was replaced by platform running from the superstructure to the bow to allow aircraft to take off and land.

However, after trials found it was incredibly difficult for aircraft to land safely, as they had to maneuver around the superstructure, a second platform was added in place of the aft turret, with taxiways linking the two. Following the end of World War I, Furious underwent a major reconstruction that saw the superstructure completely removed and replaced by a full length flight deck.

Answer: HMS Argus

HMS Argus began life as the Italian ocean liner Conte Rosso but, while the ship was still under construction, it was purchased by the Royal Navy for conversion into what eventually became the world's first modern aircraft carrier. This was due to the limitations of aircraft operation from HMS Furious, and so Argus was designed as a flush-decked ship, with a full length flight deck and no visible superstructure.

Answer: HMS Courageous

HMS Courageous was originally built as a "half-sister" to HMS Furious, mounting four 15 inch (381mm) guns. Following World War I, Courageous and her sister-ship Glorious were converted to aircraft carriers of a modified design to Furious. On 17 September 1939, Courageous was undertaking an anti-submarine patrol off the coast of Ireland when she was torpedoed by U-29.

The ship eventually sank in just 20 minutes with the loss of more than 500 of her crew, making her the first British warship to be lost during World War II.

This attack, which had followed an unsuccessful one on the carrier HMS Ark Royal three days earlier, led to the Royal Navy ending the practice of using its aircraft carriers for anti-submarine duties.

Answer: HMS Illustrious

HMS Illustrious was the first of a new generation of carriers to enter service in the Royal Navy, having been commissioned in April 1940. Later that summer, she was deployed to the Mediterranean where the commander of the ship's task force, Rear Admiral Lyster, proposed an attack on the main Italian fleet at Taranto.

Although intended to use both of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean based carriers, problems with HMS Eagle led to Illustrious undertaking the attack alone. The success of the Taranto raid subsequently inspired Admiral Yamamoto of the Japanese Navy to plan a similar raid on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Answer: HMS Victorious

HMS Victorious was commissioned into the Royal Navy in mid-May 1941. Just two weeks after entering service, when she was supposed to be part of a convoy escort for the Middle East, the ship was diverted to sail as part of the force hunting for the German battleship Bismarck. On 24 May, an unsuccessful attack on the Bismarck was launched from Victorious, which saw two of her aircraft having to ditch in the sea.

The attack that eventually crippled the Bismarck and led to her sinking was launched from HMS Ark Royal on 26 May.

Answer: HMS Ocean

On 3 December 1945, a de Havilland Sea Vampire jet fighter, piloted by Lt Commander Eric "Winkle" Brown, became the first pure jet to land on an aircraft carrier, when it landed on HMS Ocean. The aircraft subsequently launched from the ship the same day, making it the first pure jet to be launched from a carrier.

Answer: HMS Ark Royal

Defence cuts in the mid-1960s were planned to bring about the end of fixed-wing aviation in the Royal Navy. However, at the time this was announced, HMS Ark Royal had just begun a major refit to allow her to operate the American F-4 Phantom aircraft, and cancelling this work was seen as a bad decision politically.

As a consequence, Ark Royal returned to service in 1970 fully modernised, but intended to be the final ship capable of operating fixed-wing aircraft. On 27 November 1978, an F-4 Phantom became the last aircraft to be launched from a catapult equipped British aircraft carrier during the disembarkation before Ark Royal's final return to the UK.

Answer: HMS Invincible

The Invincible-class was originally designed as a "Through-deck cruiser" for anti-submarine operations using helicopters. While HMS Invincible was under construction, the specification changed when it was designed to include a small number of the Harrier STOVL aircraft for self-defence. Invincible became the world's first dedicated "Harrier carrier" when commissioned in 1980.

Answer: HMS Hermes

HMS Hermes was originally commissioned in 1959 as the last, and smallest, of the Royal Navy's conventional carriers. Converted to a helicopter carrier in 1973, she was converted again to be able to operate the Harrier, and was the largest ship in the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the Falklands War.

At the height of the conflict, Hermes was operating up to 26 fixed-wing aircraft from the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force.

Answer: HMS Queen Elizabeth

HMS Queen Elizabeth was the first of two ships of her class to enter service. Originally planned as a STOVL carrier to operate the F-35B Lightning variant, while under construction the plans were first changed to fit her with catapults to operate as a conventional carrier, before being switched back before the ship was launched to a STOVL carrier.

At the time of her commissioning, she was the largest warship to ever enter service into the Royal Navy.