Six more Ark Royals instead of the AFDs

Given that the admiralty naming department were initially flummoxed about naming purpose built aircraft carriers and leapt on the precedent created by fishers follies

The new Ark Royal Class would have probably have been

HMS Illustrious
HMS Victorious
HMS Audacious
HMS Tremendous

Then probably reuse of HMS Glorious
and HMS Courageous although Vigorous and Voracious were available

The original Ark Royal was the flagship during the Spanish Armada campaign, so maybe there's a precedent in using names from flagships in major actions. So maybe HMS Formidable after Rodney's Flagship at the Saintes.
 
That's a possibility . I've got a book called British Warship names by Manning and Walker that gives a fascinating insight into their thought process of how names were selected.
 
That's a possibility . I've got a book called British Warship names by Manning and Walker that gives a fascinating insight into their thought process of how names were selected.

Now you've said that, I am curious, could you perhaps give some insight/snippets?
 
That's a possibility . I've got a book called British Warship names by Manning and Walker that gives a fascinating insight into their thought process of how names were selected.
Fascinating. Is it likely to be available via Amazon or eBay?

Snippets please if you have time.
 
Certainly the majority of the book is a list of ship names but their are seven chapters on the whys and wherefore . It is available from Amazon

Apparently the -er Escort Carrier names were a series of names originally dating from 1797 and were said to be originally derived from the names of a pack of foxhounds owned by the second Earl Spencer who was First Lord of the abnormality at the time.

HMS Scorpion was named thus due to the intervention of Sir Andrew Cunningham as he'd commanded a ship of this name in WW 1. Sentinel who was to have her name changed was transferred to the Dutch and all S class destroyers were by this point in active service. However a member of ship naming committee remembered it was a weapon also so it was given to a Weapon class Destroyer.

Churchill intervened in 1942 to have Submarines be named again and personally suggested HMS Tiptoe and HMS Varangian

The Black Swab class once they ran out of birds were to be given old Small Ship names with a good record of service

HMS King George V should have been named after the current king but King requested it be named after his father

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Didn't she have certain restrictions re: facilities etc?
You're likely right, as the only dry dock picks I can find of Hood are in floating docks.

Staying to the <800ft overall length of the KGV is likely a safe bet.

6049901099_d1db543fd3_z.jpg
 
What was the longest practical length waterline for a RN carrier. Ark was (according to wiki) 721 feet and a KGV was 745 feet.
IIRC the Malta class was reduced from a desired 900ft at the waterline to 850ft due to dockyard size, so I suspect 850ft is the practical maximum for a non-treaty restricted ship.
 
IIRC the Malta class was reduced from a desired 900ft at the waterline to 850ft due to dockyard size, so I suspect 850ft is the practical maximum for a non-treaty restricted ship.

So what would a 15 percent increase in overall length do in terms of hangar volume?
 
So what would a 15 percent increase in overall length do in terms of hangar volume?
According to Friedman, for the open hanger version of the Malta class three alternative designs were considered
X X1 Y
LWL 900 850 750
Hanger area (sq ft) 61,770 56,950 46,800
flight deck dimensions (ft) 936x122 856x122 790x119
X was the original design but two smaller designs were prepared because of dock sizes (both dry docks and actual harbour sizes at Malta and Gibraltar). X1 was preferred to Y because it carried more aircraft per ton, was faster and better able to sustain its speed, was better protected, could have 2 deck edge lifts (unlike Y, and this was considered essential for efficient operations), as well as being more flexible and better able to handle larger aircraft.
 
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