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| HMS Furious (1917) | |
|---|---|
| Ship name | HMS Furious |
| Ship namesake | Furious |
| Ship class | Courageous-class battlecruiser / aircraft carrier |
| Ship displacement | 19,700 long tons (design) |
| Ship length | 786 ft |
| Ship beam | 79 ft |
| Ship propulsion | Parsons turbines, 4 shafts |
| Ship speed | 32 knots |
| Ship range | 6,100 nmi at 20 kn |
| Ship complement | ~1,000 officers and ratings (varied) |
| Ship armament | 2 × 18 in (457 mm) BL Mk I guns (initial), later 4 × 5.5 in (140 mm) guns, AA guns |
| Ship aircraft | varied types including Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Camel, Fairey Campania, Fairey Swordfish, Blackburn Baffin |
| Ship builder | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company |
| Ship launched | 9 November 1916 |
| Ship commissioned | 1917 (as carrier conversion began) |
| Ship decommissioned | 1948 |
| Ship identifiers | pennant numbers varied |
HMS Furious (1917) HMS Furious was a British capital-ship conversion that served as a pioneering aircraft carrier and experimental aviation platform for the Royal Navy during World War I and interwar years, later participating in World War II. Originally laid down as a Courageous-class battlecruiser under the War Emergency Programme, the ship underwent significant naval architecture alterations, becoming one of the first large warships designed to operate fixed-wing aircraft at sea and influencing carrier development in the Imperial Japanese Navy, United States Navy, and French Navy.
Furious began as part of the Admiralty's response to the First World War strategic demands epitomized by the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow and the need for fast battlecruiser scouts to counter the High Seas Fleet. Designed alongside HMS Glorious and HMS Courageous under Admiral Beatty's influence, her initial plan retained heavy armament but reduced protection following concepts from First Sea Lord deliberations and wartime experience at the Battle of Jutland. Influenced by air power advocates from the Royal Naval Air Service and proponents including A. V. Roe, the Admiralty ordered a radical conversion: truncating the superstructure to create a flying-off deck and later complete carrier facilities under the direction of the Director of Naval Construction and shipbuilders at Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Govan, Glasgow. The conversion blended lessons from HMS Argus, HMS Furious (pre-conversion) experiments, and technical guidance from Captain of the Fleet staff and Fleet Air Arm precursors.
Laid down at Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company and launched in November 1916, Furious's hull reflected dreadnought-era construction techniques, with large turbine plants from Parsons and extensive boiler rooms akin to contemporary Town-class and Queen Elizabeth-class designs. Commissioning paperwork drew on dockyard records from Rosyth Dockyard and Portsmouth Dockyard as conversion works proceeded. The initial trials involved navigation officers who had served on HMS Furious (pre-conversion)-era operations and aviators from the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps transition teams, with oversight by Admiralty departments including the Directorate of Training and Naval Staff observers. Early sea trials tested speed against predictions from Seakeeping studies and validated range figures used by Fleet commanders.
Furious operated with the Grand Fleet and later with carrier groups attached to the Home Fleet, conducting reconnaissance, fleet protection, and experimental strike operations. Crews included personnel seconded from HMS Glorious and officers trained at HMS President establishments, while aviators frequently rotated from No. 1 Squadron RNAS and No. 4 Squadron RNAS. Furious supported North Sea patrols, anti-submarine sorties inspired by Q-ship tactics, and special operations coordinated with Admiralty Intelligence Division. Interwar deployments linked Furious to fleet exercises with the Mediterranean Fleet, naval reviews for King George V, and cruises that engaged with navies such as the United States Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy, and Royal Australian Navy for carrier doctrine exchanges.
Furious embarked pioneering types including the Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Camel, Fairey Campania, Fairey Flycatcher, and later Fairey Swordfish and Blackburn Baffin. Flight operations evolved from short take-offs from a forward flight deck to full-length carrier deck landings following trials inspired by procedures from HMS Argus and innovations by Lieutenant-Commander A. L. Snagge and other aviation officers. Air squadrons aboard Furious integrated reconnaissance, fighter interception, and torpedo-bomber roles developed in conjunction with the Royal Air Force after the 1918 amalgamation of the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps. Catapult experiments, arresting gear development, and deck landing techniques informed later carrier standards used by the United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy.
Furious underwent multiple refits at Rosyth, Devonport, and Clyde yards that replaced her initial 18-inch gun arrangement with enhanced aviation facilities, enlarged hangars, and the installation of island superstructure in later refits similar to conversions seen on HMS Courageous and HMS Glorious. Anti-aircraft battery upgrades reflected developments from QF 4-inch Mk V to more effective dual-purpose mounts, and radar installations were fitted in the late 1930s influenced by Chain Home and ASV radar research led by scientists from Bawdsey Manor and the Admiralty Signals Establishment. Machinery overhauls replaced boilers and updated turbines with standards from Brown-Curtis and Parsons improvements, influenced by wartime maintenance practices from Rosyth Dockyard.
Furious participated in pioneering air strikes and boat-launched operations during the First World War and the interwar period, including raids that informed tactics later used in the Second World War carrier battles such as Battle of Taranto and Battle of Britain maritime-support missions. Notably, Furious conducted early carrier-launched raids that presaged Operation Judgement techniques and influenced Admiral Cunningham's carrier employment. Her aviation operations supported convoy escort doctrines shaped by Convoy system strategists and anti-submarine campaigns against U-boat threats coordinated with Admiralty Naval Staff planning.
After varied wartime and peacetime service, Furious was progressively superseded by newer carriers like HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious as carrier doctrine matured under Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound and First Sea Lord directives. Decommissioned post-World War II, she was paid off and sold for scrap, with final dismantling occurring amid postwar reductions influenced by the Washington Naval Treaty legacy and London Naval Treaty limitations. Surviving artifacts and plans entered collections at institutions such as the Imperial War Museum and the National Maritime Museum where historians and naval architects study her role in early carrier aviation development.
Category:Royal Navy aircraft carriers Category:Ships built on the River Clyde Category:1916 ships