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HMS Hermes (95)

 
HMS Hermes (95)

 
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HMS Hermes (95) of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 of United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 was the first ship in any navy to be designed and built as an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a navy force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations....
, although the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy

The origins of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with nations on the Asia, beginning in the early history of Japan#Feudal Japan and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of cultural diffusion with European power during the Age of Discovery....
's Hosho
Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho

Hosho became the first flat-deck aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1921, and was the first purpose-designed aircraft carrier in the world to be commissioned....
 was the first to be commissioned. The design of Hermes preceded and influenced that of the Hosho, and she was launched before Hosho was laid down but her commissioning did not occur until more than six months after that of the Hosho.

Hermes was laid down by Sir W.






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HMS Hermes (95) of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 of United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 was the first ship in any navy to be designed and built as an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a navy force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations....
, although the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy

The origins of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with nations on the Asia, beginning in the early history of Japan#Feudal Japan and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of cultural diffusion with European power during the Age of Discovery....
's Hosho
Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho

Hosho became the first flat-deck aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1921, and was the first purpose-designed aircraft carrier in the world to be commissioned....
 was the first to be commissioned. The design of Hermes preceded and influenced that of the Hosho, and she was launched before Hosho was laid down but her commissioning did not occur until more than six months after that of the Hosho.

Hermes was laid down by Sir W. G. Armstrong-Whitworth and Company at High Walker on the River Tyne
River Tyne

The River Tyne is a river in England. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers, the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'....
 in January 1918 and was launched on 11 September 1919. She was not commissioned until 1923.

Like Hosho, Hermes was based on a cruiser-type hull, and the design incorporated lessons learned from the operation of the earlier carriers such as HMS Furious
HMS Furious (47)

HMS Furious was a modified Glorious class aircraft carrier "large light cruiser" converted into an early aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy....
 and HMS Argus
HMS Argus (I49)

HMS Argus was a British aircraft carrier from 1918 until 1944. She was the world's first example of what is now the standard pattern of aircraft carrier, with a "flush deck" enabling wheeled aircraft to take-off and land....
. Notably, this included a full-length flush flight deck
Flight deck

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the Deck from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the flight deck....
 and an island superstructure and funnel to starboard. The latter innovation allowed the ship to be conned effectively but did not interfere with air operations. The logic behind placing it to starboard was that early aircraft were powered by rotary engines that rotated in a clockwise manner (when viewed from the rear). The whirling mass generated considerable torque
Torque

Torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis . Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
, and aircraft tended to yaw to their left upon take off. It was therefore desirable that they would turn away from any potential obstructions. An interesting identification feature was the tripod mast, which had two forward and one rear leg, a unique arrangement. However, operational experience with Hermes demonstrated that her air complement was too small, her protection and endurance limited, her speed was not sufficient for fleet operations and that her stability was poor, especially in high seas.

Despite her size, Hermes was only able to carry 20 aircraft. Like other carriers of the time, Hermes, as built, was fitted with longitudinal wires, but these were changed to transverse arrester wires in the early 1930s.

During World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 she served briefly with the Home Fleet
British Home Fleet

The Home Fleet is the traditional name of the Naval fleet of the Royal Navy that protects the United Kingdom's territorial waters....
 before being assigned to the southern Atlantic from October 1939. She worked with the French navy based at Dakar
Dakar

Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cap-Vert, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa , is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional seaport....
 until the Vichy
Vichy France

Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the French Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal of France Philippe P?tain pro...
 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
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
. Following repairs she continued patrols but this time in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
 as part of the Eastern Fleet
British Eastern Fleet

The British Eastern Fleet was a Naval fleet of the Royal Navy which existed from 1904 to 1971. In 1904 First Sea Lord Jackie Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher ordered that in the event of war the three main commands in the Far East, the East Indies Squadron, the China Squadron and the Australian Squadron, should all come under one command called the...
.

During the Indian Ocean raid
Indian Ocean raid

The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Kido Butai of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March to 10 April 1942 against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean....
, Hermes was in harbour at Trincomalee
Trincomalee

Trincomalee is a district, a bay and a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. The town is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours....
, Ceylon (Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
), undergoing repairs. Advance warning of a Japanese air raid allowed her to leave port, but as she returned following the raid on 9 April 1942, she was spotted off Batticaloa
Batticaloa

Batticaloa is the provincial capital of the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka of Sri Lanka. It is also the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka....
 by a Japanese reconnaissance plane. Lacking planes of her own, she was defenceless when she was attacked by 70 Japanese bombers. Hit 40 times, Hermes sank with the loss of 307 men. Her escorts – the destroyer HMAS Vampire
HMAS Vampire (D68)

HMAS Vampire was a V and W class destroyer destroyer of the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy .Vampire was laid down by J. Samuel White and Company, Limited, at Cowes on the Isle of Wight on 10 October 1916, launched on 21 May 1917, completed on 22 September 1917 and commissioned into the RN....
 and the corvette
Corvette

A corvette is a small, manoeuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a offshore patrol vessel, although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role....
 Hollyhock
HMS Hollyhock (K64)

HMS Hollyhock was a Flower class corvette that served in the Royal Navy.Hollyhock was laid down at John Crown and Sons on 27 November 1939 and launched on 19 August 1940....
 – and two tankers were also sunk. 590 survivors of the attack were picked up by the hospital ship Vita and taken to Colombo
Colombo

Colombo is the largest city and former administrative capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the present administrative capital of Sri Lanka....
. Some survivors were taken to Kandy
Kandy

Kandy is the English name for the city of Maha Nuvara in the centre of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the Central Province, Sri Lanka and Kandy District....
 where they spent 10 days recuperating at the Queens Hotel.

The wreck of the Hermes is located in the Indian Ocean off Batticaloa
Batticaloa

Batticaloa is the provincial capital of the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka of Sri Lanka. It is also the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka....
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
.

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