#15 ninja'd!I've always been disappointed that Oliver Cromwell has never had a ship in the RN named after him - even Ironside would do...
Still, would be difficult having one of His / Her Majesty's Ships named for a regicide![]()
Blake (as in HMS Blake) was his 'Sea General' and one of our greatest.
I'd love to see the minutes of the planning meetings that decided to cut back the 14 CV plan. In favour of what, I wonder...?
Ark Royal 1934 build programme (OTL) (laid down sept 1935)/(commissioned dec 1938)
Argus and Hermes 1935 build programme (laid down april 1936 and sept 1936)/(commissioned june 1939 and nov 1939)
Eagle 1936 build programme (laid down april 1937)/(commissioned may 1940)
Or is that too leisurely? The new armoured CV class will be hot on their heels. I think it would have to be two a year financed in 1934 and 1935.
____________________Coastal Armoured Carriershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Illustrious_%2887%29#Background_and_description
The Royal Navy's 1936 Naval Programme authorised the construction of two aircraft carriers. Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson, Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy, was determined not to simply modify the previous unarmoured Ark Royal design. He believed that carriers could not be successfully defended by their own aircraft without some form of early-warning system. Lacking that, there was nothing to prevent land-based aircraft from attacking them, especially in confined waters like the North Sea and Mediterranean.
1936 2x Illustrious class
1937 2x Indomitable class
1938 2x Implacable class
1939 2x Irresistible class (another bonus of this steady two a year)
____________________Emergency Light Carriers start
1940 8x Colossus class
1941 8x Majestic class
1942 8x Centaur class (four best retained post war)
____________________Post war replacements started (unarmoured to reflect advent of Radar)
1943 2x Audacious class
1944 2x Africa class
1945 2x Malta class (stopped and re-ordered as 4x replenishment at sea oiler/reefers)
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