700-012 HAWKINS CLASS CRUISERS HMS VINDICTIVE

HMS Vindictive (originally: HMS Cavendish) was a British heavy cruiser, later rebuilt, and the ship, which was laid down in June 1916, was launched in January 1918 and entered service with the Royal Navy in October of the same year. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 184.4 m, width 19.8 m, with a standard displacement of approx. 9,500 tons. In turn, the maximum speed reached 30-31 knots. The ship's armament included: 4 190 mm guns, 4 76 mm AA guns and 6 533 mm torpedo tubes. HMS Vindictive was the fifth and final ship of the Hawkins-class. The design of these units was born before the outbreak of the Great War, but their implementation was already underway. The main task of Hawkins-class units was to act against German auxiliary cruisers and engage them in at least equivalent combat. For this reason, when designing them, emphasis was placed on a relatively high maximum speed, as much autonomy as possible and a large range. HMS Vindictive, originally named HMS Cavendish, was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. While still under construction, changes were made to it that transformed it from a cruiser into a light aircraft carrier. The unit did not take part in the Great War, but in 1919 it supported the actions of the British fleet against the Reds in the Russian Civil War. After returning from Russia, the ship was placed in the fleet reserve, in which it remained, with a short break in 1926-1928, until 1936. During World War II, she played the role of a transport and repair ship. In this role, he took part in the 1940 Norwegian campaign. In 1940-1944, he served in the South Atlantic and - above all - in the Mediterranean. In June 1944, it supported the landing operations in Normandy, during which it was damaged. Despite the damage, it survived the war and was not scrapped until 1946.