Dark Earth Timeline Discussion

[Simon Darkshade]

It is the DE equivalent to that Ark - the first of the 1930s carriers (Ordered 12/4/33, Laid Down 12/8/33 Cammell Laird, Birkenhead , Launched 6/5/35, Commissioned 23/4/37). She decommissioned after Korea and, as the Americans had made a big song and dance about their new museum carrier Enterprise, a few historically minded wealthy types had a whip round and set up a trust to purchase the Ark as a British equivalent.

Other preserved carriers of the same vintage are Eagle and Hermes, with Argus being the first purpose built carrier (as per the details in The History of the Aircraft Carrier thread); Eagle and Hermes were loaned to the RIN from 1956 to 1965, and then replaced by the refurbished Indefatigable and Implacable. The majority of the surviving ships were sold:

Centaur: Sold to India and in RIN service as HMIS Vikrant

Illustrious: Sold to Brazil and in Imperial service as Aquidabã
Invincible: Sold to Chile and in RChN service as Capitan Prat
Victorious: Sold to Peru and in RPN service as Aguirre
Formidable: Sold to Korea in 1963 and in IKN service as Jejudo
Indomitable: Sold to Portugal in 1963 and in Portuguese service as Nossa Senhora da Conceição
Indefatigable: Sold to India and in RIN service as HMIS Vikramaditya
Implacable: Sold to India and in RIN service as HMIS Viraat
Argus: Sold to Brazil and in Imperial service as Riachuelo
Pegasus: Sold to Peru and in RPN service as Almirante Grau
Unicorn: Sold to Chile and in RChN as O'Higgins
Leviathan: Sold to Argentina and in RArN service as Nueve de Julio
Ocean: Sold to Argentina and in RArN service as Veinticinco de Mayo

The following CVLs were also sold in the 1950s:
Sans Pareil and Brilliant - Spain
Edgar and Engadine - Italy
Pioneer and Phoenix - Netherlands
Endymion and Orpheus - Greece
Atlas and Justinian - Portugal

Hood was decommissioned in 1957, after the Middle Eastern War, so went to the first and largest available spot at Portsmouth with the other notable vessels there as part of a large Royal Naval Museum (different from and in addition to the @ National Maritime Museum at Greenwich). Vanguard was only recently decommissioned in 1973 and it was viewed as more efficient to keep her at Devonport, at this time.

Leith has missed out, for the moment. There are still a number of recently decommissioned warships laid up, including at Rosyth, which might well be available to go there in due course.