HMS Eagle (R05)

HMS Eagle was one of the two largest ever British aircraft carriers. Four ships of the Audacious-class were laid down during World War II as part of the British naval buildup during that conflict. However, two were cancelled at the end of hostilities, and the remaining two were suspended. Work on Eagle began again first, leading to the ship being commissioned in October 1951.

A number of changes were incorporated into the design, although Eagle was launched too early to see an angled deck installed. The ship's first wartime service came in 1956, when it took part in the Suez Crisis. The ship's aircraft of that period included Westland Wyverns, Douglas Skyraiderss, Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawks and de Havilland Sea Venoms.

Eagle's most major refit came in the early 1960s. In a major reconstruction, the ship received an angled flight deck to allow it to operate jets a great deal more safely. By this time, the airwing had changed to Blackburn Buccaneer, Sea Vixen and Fairey Gannet aircraft. The Supermarine Scimitar also saw service on the ship during this period before being replaced by the Buccaneer.

However, by the mid-1960s, the British Government had decided that the days of the large Royal Navy aircraft carrier were limited. The fleet was swiftly run down, with Eagle being the penultimate to decommission. It left RN service in 1972, but was used as a parts hulk for Ark Royal until the latter decommissioned as well in 1978. Eagle was then swiftly scrapped.

Audacious-class aircraft carrier

Eagle | Ark Royal

List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy