Chapter 382 Royal Ark Aircraft Carrier

The British Navy has three warships, all of which are named after the Royal Ark, and the current aircraft carrier, the Royal Ark, is of trans-epochal significance for the British Navy.

The reason is very simple. Almost all the previous aircraft carriers were refitted.

At the beginning, the first aircraft carrier, also called Ark Royal, was built in 1913 using a cargo ship carrying coal, and it was the world's first true maritime aircraft carrier.

And now, as far as active duty is concerned, the USS Furious is a cruiser conversion; the Hundred-Eyed Giant is a merchant conversion; the Eagle is a battleship conversion; the "Brave" and "Glorious" are both cruisers Modified.

Only the aircraft carrier Athletics God was the first specially designed aircraft carrier. Unfortunately, this is a small aircraft carrier with a small number of aircraft and a low speed, which cannot meet the needs of the war.

So the British Navy needs a new, purpose-designed large aircraft carrier

The famous British designer W-A-D-Forbes, after several years of hard work, finally designed this aircraft carrier, and he is also the designer of the follow-up Radiance-class aircraft carrier.

Although this aircraft carrier has been planned since the early 1930s, due to economic problems, it was not until 35 years that the aircraft carrier was constructed at the shipyard in Birkenhead.

Launched in 1937 and commissioned in November 1938, this is definitely the latest British Navy aircraft carrier, and it is their pride.

Therefore, although it was planned to be named "Mercury" when it was just built, the British Navy felt that it was very uncomfortable, so they renamed the aircraft carrier "Ark Royal" during the First World War to "Pegathos" No., vacated the name and gave it to the newly commissioned warship.

This alone shows the status of this aircraft carrier in the British Navy. Its tall and fully enclosed bow, its wide flight deck, and the maximum load capacity of 72 aircraft are enough to show that this aircraft carrier has The power of the aircraft carrier is coming!

When the sky was just getting bright, a general who arrived on the aircraft carrier last night couldn't help but come out and do activities.

Admiral Tom Phillips, a veteran admiral of the British Empire, joined the Royal Navy in 1903, and it has been more than three decades now.

Now, he is the deputy chief of staff of the navy and the commander-in-chief of this sea-going operation.

The navy must act immediately. At sea, put the greatest pressure on the Germans and let the Germans know the price of disobeying Britain!

He came from London last night and went straight to the aircraft carrier. As a veteran admiral, he also likes the Royal Ark aircraft carrier very much. During this voyage, he will use this warship as his flagship.

Battleships look majestic, but they are not as flexible as carrier-based aircraft. In the navy, Phillips likes aircraft carriers.

He is not tall, and standing with those big naval officers and soldiers, he looks quite short, so he is also called Thumb.

Of course, no one dared to call him that nickname in person, as he walked on the wooden flight deck in his white navy uniform.

As a specially designed aircraft carrier, when this warship was designed, the first goal was to provide the largest area of ​​flight deck.

Therefore, compared with other warships, the "Ark Royal" adopts an extended flight deck. The flight deck is very long and extends out of the bow and stern, which greatly increases the area of ​​the flight deck.

At the same time, the flight deck is divided into two parts, the front part is used for take-off and the rear part is used for landing. It is the earliest British aircraft carrier that can take off and land at the same time on the flight deck.

It seems that this aircraft carrier is majestic enough. For some reason, compared to the German aircraft carrier, it looks a little smaller.

The German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin has a displacement of 30,000 tons, which is a circle larger than its own! At the same time, the German aircraft carrier also uses a strange-looking flight deck, which is confusing.

Different from history, now, the development of the German Navy has become much stronger.

Not counting those built on the slipway, the Germans already owned two Count Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers and two Bismarck-class battleships. After World War I, the navy was almost castrated. Unexpectedly, After a few years, the German Navy has become so powerful!

Of course, the purpose of our own going to sea this time is to completely block the North Sea and make Germany lose its sea passage. In this case, there may be a conflict with the German navy, and a naval battle may come.

The German navy and the British navy are also a pair of enemies. The battle of Jutland in those days was extremely fierce. This time, do you want to repeat it again?

The British Navy will not lose!

The German navy, after all, has only just grown up. Their tactics and personnel are no match for the United Kingdom, a century-old naval power!

Pacing and walking on the large flight deck, this was Phillips' exercise program in the morning. Just after he stepped out of the bridge, he saw several busy people on the deck.

On the deck, a layer of paint is being sprayed. It has been painted for a day yesterday. Today, there is still a small piece of the stern.

The deck is made of wood. Although it was relatively strong when it was just laid, after several trips to the sea, the wood on the deck will be damaged, and the salt at sea will also corrode the deck.

If it takes a long time, such as mooring the aircraft carrier on the dock for several months, it can even grow moss on the deck.

So, every once in a while, the deck needs a coat of paint.

Wooden decks, which can buffer the landing of aircraft, are the standard choice in this era. They really don't understand why the flight decks of German aircraft carriers are still made of iron.

Just as he was about to chat with the painted sailors, Phillips heard the roar of the aircraft in the distance, raised his head, and squinted at the passenger planes flying from the east.

As soon as he saw it, he already felt that something was wrong. When the passenger plane flew close, the unease in his heart became stronger and stronger.

In the intelligence agency, the passenger plane jointly developed by Germany and the United States has been evaluated, and the results obtained are very annoying. This passenger plane can be easily converted into a bomber. At the same time, because of the high flying height, the existing one fighter jets can't be intercepted!

Our own anti-aircraft artillery is also out of reach, so once we start a war with Germany, this kind of bomber is the most terrifying.

And now, is it a state of war?

Just when he looked at the "passenger plane" flying in the sky uneasy, he saw something thrown out from under the belly of the passenger plane.

"Quick, sound the air defense siren!" Phillips shouted loudly. At this moment, his face turned pale.