United Kingdom (1939-1960) Genesis of the Vanguard design It should be tempting to reduce HMS Vanguard to a solution for “reusing old turrets”. A monitor could have done the job just as well for a fraction of the price. The truth is that the design went by leaps and bounds with a real theater in … Read more
United Kingdom (1942-45) HMS Swiftsure, Minotaur, Superb, Hawke, Bellerophon, Blake, Defence, Mars The last “classic” British cruiser of WW2 were the Minotaur class (later swiftsure as Minotaur became HCMS Ontario). On paper, light cruisers due to their armament of nine 6-in DP guns, “C” turret being sacrifice to make room for more AA. Essentially an … Read more
Oceanic Submersibles 1926-1946: The Parthian-class submarine or P class was a class of six submarines built for the Royal Navy in the late 1920s. Also called P-class submarines, they were a group of diesel-electric submarines operated by the Royal Navy in the late 1920s and 1930s. The class consisted of six boats – HMS Pandora, … Read more
United Kingdom – D94, Training Aircraft Carrier HMS Pretoria Castle (F61) was a freshly completed Harland & Wolff, Belfast-built Union-Castle ocean liner (the makers of the Titanic) requisitioned and converted into a Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser (MAC), and then in July 1942 as an escort carrier (Commissioned as escort carrier on 29 July 1943). … Read more
Cruiser Submersible 1921-1937: Nearly bankrupted by the war and in peace mood, Britain was not willing to engage in military innovation in 1920. Nevertheless, the Royal Navy on a limited budget could still experiment and based on the German project U-173, and the war prize U-141. This was designed HMS X.1 in utter secrecy. Massive … Read more
Aircraft Carrier Support Ship Royal Navy – 1939-59 Don’t call me an aircraft carrier: HMS Unicorn was an oddity as aircraft carrier in WW2, as she was envisioned in the 1920s already and with the Second London Naval Treaty, the british delegation secured a condition for auxiliary vessels at large, that opened the gate for … Read more
Minelaying Submersibles 1932-1945: HMS Porpoise (prototype), HMS Grampus, Narwhal, Rorqual, Cachalot, Seal The first British internwar minelaying submersibles: The 1,800-tons Grampus-class were derived in 1936-38 from the single prototype HMS Porpoise launched 1932. Five of a modified design were built therefore after years of testing and improvements. They shared the same marine mammals names, and … Read more
Oceanic Submersibles 1924-1945: HMS Oberon (prototype), HMS Oxley & Otway (Australian order), HMS Odin, Olympus, Orpheus, Osiris, Oswald, Otus HMS Oberon HMS Oberon was the Odin-class prototype, more than the Oxley class, a derivative planned for the Royal Austrlian Navy. Originally called “O1” she received a full name, HMS Oberon, after a Shakespearian nickname meaning … Read more
First of the ambitious 1942 light Fleet Carrier United Kingdom – 1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier (1944) Colossus, Glory, Ocean, Venerable, Vengeance, Pioneer, Warrior, Theseus, Triumph, Perseus The 1942 light fleet carrier program The Colossus class also called 1942 Design Light Fleet Carriers, was the last British fleet carriers to be completed in WW2. They … Read more
Patrol Submersible 1930-1945: HMS Swordfish, Sturgeon, Seahorse, Starfish. Birth of a great standard: The S-class (1930-1980s) HMS Seawolf (cc) The S-class submarines of the Royal Navy were were planned to patrol the restricted waters of the North Sea and Mediterranean. They were also scheduled as replacments for replacing the vintage WWI British H-class submarines. It … Read more
