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HMS ARGUS AIRCRAFT CARRIER
HMS
Argus represented the future – the first aircraft
carrier with a fully uninterrupted flight deck. Her
design built on experiments with separate fore and
aft flying decks, interrupted by central
superstructure, on the converted light battlecruiser
HMS Furious. HMS Argus provided a floating aerodrome
on which wheeled aircraft could land and take off,
without the complications involved in dropping and
retrieving floatplanes.
The
15,000-ton, 565- foot long HMS Argus was built on the
hull of a passenger liner under construction in Britain
for an Italian company. She was acquired by the Navy in
an incomplete state and reconfigured as a carrier. The
bridge extended across the ship beneath the flight deck
but the view was unavoidably impaired. Therefore, a
small retractable pilot house was provided to facilitate
more precise maneuvering when entering or leaving
harbor.
Argus
became fully operational too late to participate
actively in World War 1. She spent most of her service
life training pilots in deck landings, creating pilots
and aircrew. She proved a valuable asset to the Royal
Navy in the 1920s and 1930s, supporting development of
operational procedures and tactical use of air power.
By 1942,
the Royal Navy was very short of aircraft carriers and
Argus was pressed into front-line service despite her
lack of speed and armament. In June, she participated in
Operation Harpoon, providing air cover for the
Malta-bound convoy. In November, she provided air cover
during Operation Torch, the invasion of French North
Africa and was slightly damaged by a bomb. After
returning to the UK for repairs, Argus was used again
for deck-landing practice until late September 1944. In
December, she became an accommodation ship and was
listed for disposal in mid-1946. Argus was sold in late
1946 and scrapped the following year.
This primarily wood HMS
ARGUS aircraft carrier model is 34" long (1/200 scale)$3,590 Shipping and insurance in
the contiguous USA included.
Other places: $300 flat rate.
This model has three
airplane types: Sopwith Cuckoo torpedo
bombers, Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutters, and Sopwith Pups.
We'd love to build larger
ARGUS aircraft carrier for you. Let us know if you want
a
1/144 or 1/100 scales (68" long.)
Learn more about the
HMS Argus here:
Argus aircraft carrier.
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