HMS Illustrious (2 Hangar Deck), Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier laid down 1937
Displacement:
25,509 t light; 26,412 t standard; 28,700 t normal; 30,531 t full load
Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(801.53 ft / 744.00 ft) x 96.00 ft x (24.00 / 25.21 ft)
(244.31 m / 226.77 m) x 29.26 m x (7.32 / 7.68 m)
Armament:
16 - 4.50" / 114 mm 45.0 cal guns - 55.00lbs / 24.95kg shells, 400 per gun
Anti-air guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1937 Model
8 x Twin mounts on sides, evenly spread
48 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm 39.0 cal guns - 2.00lbs / 0.91kg shells, 2,500 per gun
Anti-air guns in deck mounts, 1937 Model
6 x 2 row octuple mounts on sides, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 976 lbs / 443 kg
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 4.50" / 114 mm 461.28 ft / 140.60 m 11.76 ft / 3.58 m
Ends: 1.00" / 25 mm 282.70 ft / 86.17 m 11.76 ft / 3.58 m
Upper: 4.50" / 114 mm 461.28 ft / 140.60 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
Main Belt covers 95 % of normal length
- Torpedo Bulkhead - Additional damage containing bulkheads:
2.00" / 51 mm 461.28 ft / 140.60 m 22.49 ft / 6.85 m
Beam between torpedo bulkheads 76.00 ft / 23.16 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.50" / 13 mm 0.50" / 13 mm
2nd: 0.50" / 13 mm - -
- Armoured deck - multiple decks:
For and Aft decks: 6.00" / 152 mm
Forecastle: 1.50" / 38 mm Quarter deck: 1.50" / 38 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 3 shafts, 130,678 shp / 97,486 Kw = 31.00 kts
Range 11,000nm at 14.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 4,120 tons
Complement:
1,102 - 1,433
Cost:
£8.047 million / $32.186 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 180 tons, 0.6 %
- Guns: 180 tons, 0.6 %
Armour: 7,642 tons, 26.6 %
- Belts: 1,885 tons, 6.6 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 768 tons, 2.7 %
- Armament: 28 tons, 0.1 %
- Armour Deck: 4,962 tons, 17.3 %
Machinery: 3,622 tons, 12.6 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 8,879 tons, 30.9 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,192 tons, 11.1 %
Miscellaneous weights: 5,185 tons, 18.1 %
- Hull below water: 1 tons
- Hull above water: 5,184 tons
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
55,996 lbs / 25,399 Kg = 1,229.0 x 4.5 " / 114 mm shells or 8.7 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.49
Metacentric height 9.3 ft / 2.8 m
Roll period: 13.2 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 46 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.03
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.02
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck,
a normal bow and small transom stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.586 / 0.593
Length to Beam Ratio: 7.75 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 29.45 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 54 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 42
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 35.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 35.00 ft / 10.67 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 19.00 %, 32.18 ft / 9.81 m, 20.48 ft / 6.24 m
- Forward deck: 44.70 %, 20.48 ft / 6.24 m, 20.48 ft / 6.24 m
- Aft deck: 17.30 %, 20.48 ft / 6.24 m, 20.48 ft / 6.24 m
- Quarter deck: 19.00 %, 20.48 ft / 6.24 m, 20.48 ft / 6.24 m
- Average freeboard: 21.37 ft / 6.51 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 82.1 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 187.1 %
Waterplane Area: 52,855 Square feet or 4,910 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 138 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 128 lbs/sq ft or 625 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 1.09
- Longitudinal: 0.97
- Overall: 1.00
Excellent machinery, storage, compartmentation space
Excellent accommodation and workspace room
(It has an Aircraft Capacity of 72)