HMS Victorious

Type:
Aircraft Carrier
Class:
Illustrious (Group 1)
Builder:
Vickers Armstrong Ltd.
Newcastle-on-Tyne, England
Pennant Number:
38
Ordered:
January 13, 1937
Launched:
September 14, 1939
Keel Laid:
May 4, 1937
Commissioned:
March 29, 1941
Fate:
Sold to Shipbreaking Industries and scrapped in Faslane, Scotland in 1969.


Dimensions, Machinery and Performance

Length:
743' 9"
Engines:
3 Parsons single reduction geared turbines
Beam:
95' 9"
Boilers:
6 Admiralty 3 drum type
Draft:
28'
Shafts:
3
Displacement:
23,207 std. / 28,618 full
SHP:
110,000
Speed:
30.5 knots
Crew:
817
394 air wing
(Wartime total 1,997)
Range:
11,000 NM @ 14 knots


Armament As Built
Number Carried
Type
Arrangement
Maximum Range / Ceiling
16
4.5"/45 (114mm)
QF DP
8 twin mounts
20,750 yards @45°
AA ceiling 41,000' @ 80°
48
2 pounder
40mm Pom Pom's
6 octuple mounts

AA ceiling 13,300'
2,500 RPM

8
20mm AA
single mounts
N/A
36
Aircraft
(see notes)


Combat Victories
Date
Name
Type
Tons
Nationality
Notes
Nov. 21, 1942
U-517
Submarine
1,120
Germany
Jan. 6, 1944
Blaufuchs
Transport
Germany
Assisted


Commanders
N/A


Notes
Aircraft from Victorious attacked both Bismarck and Tirpitz.
Victorious operated the following types of aircraft during her career;
Fulmar, Swordfish, Albacore, Marlet, Sea Hurricane, Spitfire, Avenger, Corsair and
Barracuda.

Victorious was loaned to the US Navy Pacific Fleet TF-14 in 1942-43.
May 9, 1945:
Hit by 3 Kamikaze aircraft while operating with US Navy TF-57 off Sakishima Gunto.
3 crewmen were killed and 19 were wounded.


Class Overview
Builder's Data
Page published Jan. 29, 2007