Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers in the Second World War, Colossus-class: HMS Colossus, HMS Glory, HMS Ocean, HMS Pioneer, HMS Venerable, HMS Vengeance

Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers in the Second World War

Colossus-class, Colossus, Glory, Ocean, Pioneer, Venerable, Vengeance, 6 ships completed by war's end - 13,200 tons, 25 knots, 40 aircraft, 1,300 crew, 1944-45. 'Pioneer'commissioned as an aircraft maintenance ship.

HMS Colossus (R15)

(RN Photo)

HMS Colossus (R15) was the name-ship of the Colossus-class of light carriers. She was commissioned in 1944, but did not see any action in the Second World War. She served with the British Pacific Fleet in 1945–46, as an aircraft transport and repatriation ship. In 1946, she was loaned to the French Navy, and renamed Arromanches; she was bought by the French in 1951. (Wikipedia)

(IWM Photo)

Aerial starboard side view of the Royal Navy light fleet carrier HMS Colossus (R15) taken off Wusong, Shanghai, China, circa September 1945. Two Fairey Barracuda torpedo bombers from 827 Naval Air Squadron are parked at the forward end of the flight deck. The aerial on the stump mast is a Type 281b air search radar. Note the odd camouflage pattern which appears to be a modification of the admiralty standard scheme.

HMS Glory (R62)

(State Library of Victoria Photo)

HMS Glory (R62), 23 Jan 1946.

HMS Glory (R62) was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy laid down on 27 August 1942 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast. She was launched on 27 November 1943 by Lady Cynthia Brooke, wife of the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. The ship was commissioned on 2 April 1945, and left for the Pacific with an air wing of Barracudas (837 Naval Air Squadron) and Corsairs (1831 Naval Air Squadron). At Sydney, she joined the 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron of the British Pacific Fleet as the war was ending. Glory under the command of Anthony Wass Buzzard came to Rabaul shortly thereafter on 6 September 1945 to accept the surrender of the Japanese garrison there.

After the surrender at Rabaul, Glory assisted in the retaking of Hong Kong, and then sailed to Australia and Canada to return Commonwealth troops to their respective countries. The ship returned to the United Kingdom in 1947 and was then placed in reserve. In November 1949, the ship was taken out of reserve and fully returned to service just over a year later in December 1950.Glory then deployed to Korea in April 1951 for the first of three wartime deployments. The first deployment ended in September of that year, but Glory was back on station from January to May 1952 and November 1952 to May 1953. After the very active service of the Korean War, Glory saw out 1954 as a ferry, troop carrier and helicopter base. 1956 was the end of the ship's active career, as she was placed in reserve. In 1961, Glory was sold to Thos. W. Ward for scrapping at Inverkeithing. (Wikipedia)

(RN Photo)

HMS Glory (R62) with HMS Wizard (R72) in the Pacific, August 1945.

HMS Ocean (R68)

(IWM Photo, A 30618)

HMS Ocean (R68), 1945.‍

HMS Ocean (R68) was a Royal Navy Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier of 13,190 tons built in Glasgow by Alexander Stephen & Sons. Her keel was laid in November 1942, and she was commissioned on 8 August 1945. The Colossus class was a class of relatively small aircraft carriers which were designed to be built quickly to meet the Royal Navy's requirements for more carriers to allow it to fight a global war. In order to allow speedy build, they were designed to mercantile rather than navy hull standards, while armour protection and long-range anti aircraft guns were not fitted. Sixteen ships were ordered by the end of 1942, but the last six were completed to a modified design as the Majestic-class.

HMS Pioneer (R76)

(IWM Photo, FL 017479)

HMS Pioneer (R76) was completed as a maintenance ship, 1945.

HMS Pioneer (R76) was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was modified whilst under construction into an aircraft maintenance carrier. The ship arrived in Australia in mid-1945 to support operations by the British Pacific Fleet against Japanese forces. She supported the British attacks on the Japanese Home Islands from mid-June until the end of the war in August from a base in the Admiralty Islands. The ship and her facilities were used to help repair Hong Kong's infrastructure in late 1945 and she returned to the UK in early 1946. Pioneer was immediately placed in reserve upon her arrival and she was sold in 1954 for scrap. (Wikipedia)

HMS Venerable (R63)

(IWM Photo, A 29030)

HMS Venerable (R63) underway at sea. Two Fairey Barracuda aircraft can be seen on the flight deck.

HMS Venerable (R63) was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. She served for only the last few months of the Second World War, and in 1948 she was sold to the Netherlands and renamed HNLMS Karel Doorman, taking part in the military clash in 1962 in Western New Guinea. Subsequently, she was sold to Argentina and renamed ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, later taking part in the Falklands War. (Wikipedia)

(IWM Photo, A 29031)

HMS Venerable (R63) underway at sea.

HMS Vengeance (R71)

(IWM Photo, A 27339)

HMS Vengeance (R71)underway on the Clyde, c1945.

HMS Vengeance (R71) was a Colossus-class light aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. The carrier served in three navies during her career: the Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Navy (as HMAS Vengeance, from 1952 to 1955), and the Brazilian Navy (as NAeL Minas Gerais, from 1956 to 2001). Vengeance was one of the few ships in her class to be completed before the war's end, but she did not see active service. The ship spent the next few years as an aircraft transport and training carrier before she was sent on an experimental cruise to learn how well ships and personnel could function in extreme Arctic conditions. In late 1952, Vengeance was loaned to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as a replacement for the delayed aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. She remained in Australian waters, operating as an aircraft carrier and training ship, for the majority of her three-year loan, and was returned to the Royal Navy (RN) in August 1955.Instead of returning to RN service, the carrier was sold in 1956 to Brazil, and entered service after major upgrades, which allowed the ship to operate jet aircraft. Renamed Minas Gerais, the carrier remained in operation until 2001. Several attempts were made to sell the ship, including a listing on eBay, before she was sold for scrap and taken to Alang for breaking up. (Wikipedia)