1126 HMS HERMES (1937)

HMS Hermes was a British aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1919, launched in September 1919. The ship entered service with the British Royal Navy in February 1924. The ship was 183 meters long, 29.2 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 13,700 tons. The maximum speed of the HMS Hermes aircraft carrier oscillated around 25 knots, and its main armament at the time of the launch consisted of 15 on-board planes. HMS Hermes was the first ship in naval history to be designed and built from the beginning as an aircraft carrier. As one of the first airships, she also used a completely empty, single-tier deck for air operations with a superstructure on one of the sides. Like other British aircraft carriers, it was well armored for this class of ships, but this significantly limited the number of aircraft taken. Another disadvantage was the very weak anti-aircraft armament, which was not modernized before the outbreak of World War II. After entering service, HMS Hermes was directed to Chinese waters in 1925, where he remained with breaks until 1927. In the years 1932-1933 it was modernized and returned to the line a year later. From 1937, she served as a training ship, but with the outbreak of war in September 1939, she returned to line service. From November 1939, he served in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. In July 1940, he took part in Operation Catapult - the destruction of the French fleet at the Mers-el-Kebir base. From 1941, he served in the Indian Ocean. HMS Hermes was sunk by the Japanese air force deck on April 9, 1942.