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Tuesday, 3 May 2011

HMS Ark Royal saved!

Um... The name's saved, anyway.  The way things are going the name will be all that's left of the Royal Navy, too.
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4 comments:

  1. DanielTuesday, 3 May 2011 at 00:48:00 GMT-7

    just a shame it's going on the carrier that'll be mothballed immediately upon completion...

    ReplyDelete
  2. eonTuesday, 3 May 2011 at 18:09:00 GMT-7

    And of course, the last HMS Prince of Wales didn't exactly have a long or successful career.

    June, 1941- Fresh out of the yards, engaged DKM Bismarck in Denmark Strait in company with HMS Hood. Hood blown up by penetrating hit to aft ammunition magazines resulting in powder flash-fire, Prince of Wales hit in flag bridge (killing most of her command staff) and A turret, putting her out of the action.

    December, 1941- Off Malaya in company with HMS Repulse, Prince of Wales comes under attack by land-based IJN torpedo and dive bombers, while operating outside of effective air cover radius of RAF units. Both Prince of Wales and Repulse sunk, with heavy casualties.

    HMS Ark Royal No. 4, by comparison, helped sink the Bismarck, and when she was torpedoed by U-81 off Gibraltar on 13 November '41, stayed afloat long enough that her crew got off before she capsized and went down.

    Given a choice, I'd prefer to name a flattop after a flattop rather than a battle cruiser. Especially when the flattop had a much better batting average.

    cheers

    eon

    ReplyDelete
  3. IronmistressTuesday, 3 May 2011 at 22:40:00 GMT-7

    I would have named those flattops as Indefatigable and Indomitable. Or Victorious and Glorious.

    A warship should sound like a warship, not like a merchantman.

    ReplyDelete
  4. IronmistressTuesday, 3 May 2011 at 23:56:00 GMT-7

    Remember that HMS Prince of Wales scored a decisive hit on Bismarck - one which punctured the giant ship's fuel tanks and made it to abort the operation Rheinübung, decimating the British commerce shipping.

    The Red Ensign was the primary target of Kriegsmarine, not White.

    ReplyDelete

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