HMS Hermes (95) Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Career | ||
|---|---|---|
| Laid down: | January 1918 | |
| Launched: | 11 September 1919 | |
| Commissioned: | July 1923 | |
| Fate: | sunk by Japanese aircrafts on April 9 1942. | |
| Class: | ||
| General Characteristics | ||
| Displacement: | 11,085 tons | |
| Length: | 182.27 m | |
| Beam: | 21.41 m | |
| Draft: | 5.64 m | |
| Propulsion: | Two steam turbines, 40,000shp (30MW) | |
| Speed: | 25kts (46km/h) | |
| Range: | ||
| Complement: | 700 officers and men | |
| Armament: | 6-5.5in (140mm) guns, 3-4in (102mm) AA guns and 8-12.7mm AA guns. 6-20mm guns were added in 1934. | |
| Aircraft: | Initially 15 (Fairey III and Flycatcher) then 12 (Fairey Swordfish II or Walrus). | |
| Hull number: | 95 | |
The first HMS Hermes was the first purpose built aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, and the second in the world after the Imperial Japanese Navy's Hosho.
She was built just after the First World War. The ship was laid down by Armstrong-Whitworths in January 1918 and launched September 11, 1919. She was not commissioned until 1923.
The design was not inspired by practical experience, in operation her air complement was small, her protection and endurance limited and her stability was poor, especially in high seas.
During World War II she served briefly with the Home Fleet before being assigned to the southern Atlantic from October 1939. She worked with the French navy based at Dakar until the Vichy government came to power, following that her aircraft took part in a strike against the French vessels at Dakar. In July 1940 she collided with a merchant vessel and was repaired at Simonstown, South Africa. Following repairs she continued patrols but this time in the Indian Ocean.
She was sunk off Batticaloa, Ceylon during an attack by Japanese aircraft on April 9, 1942 while escorting a convoy from Ceylon to the Maldives. Two other naval vessels and two tankers were also sunk.