Illustrious class aircraft carrier

HMS Illustrious
Class overview
Builders:	Vickers-Armstrongs (3), Harland & Wolff (1)
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	HMS Ark Royal
Succeeded by:	Implacable class
Subclasses:	HMS Indomitable
In commission:	1940–1968
Planned:	6
Completed:	4
Scrapped:	4
General characteristics (Illustrious, as built)
Type:	Aircraft carrier
Displacement:	23,000 long tons (23,000 t) (standard)
Length:	740 ft (225.6 m) (o/a) 710 ft (216.4 m) (waterline)
Beam:	95 ft 9 in (29.2 m)
Draught:	28 ft 10 in (8.8 m) (deep load)
Installed power:	111,000 shp (83,000 kW) 6 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion:	3 shafts 3 geared steam turbines
Speed:	30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph)
Range:	10,700 nmi (19,800 km; 12,300 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement:	1,229
Sensors and processing systems:	1 × Type 79 early-warning radar
Armament:	8 × twin QF 4.5-inch dual-purpose guns 6 × octuple QF 2-pdr anti-aircraft guns
Armour:	Waterline belt: 4.5 in (114 mm) Flight deck: 3 in (76 mm) Bulkheads: 4.5 in (114 mm) Hangar sides: 4.5 in (114 mm) Magazines: 3–4.5 in (76–114 mm)
Aircraft carried:	36–57
Aviation facilities:	1 catapult

The Illustrious class was a class of aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that included some of the most important British warships in World War II. They were laid down in the late 1930s as part of the rearmament of British forces in response to the emerging threats of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.

The Illustrious class comprised four vessels: HM Ships Illustrious, Formidable, Victorious and Indomitable. The last of these was built to a modified design with a second, half-length, hangar deck below the main hangar deck. Each of these ships played a prominent part in the battles of World War II. Victorious took part in the pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck, Illustrious and Formidable played prominent parts in the battles in the Mediterranean during 1940 and 1941 and all three took part in the large actions of the British Pacific Fleet in 1945.

The later two ships of the Implacable class were also built to modified designs in order that they could carry larger air wings. Implacable and Indefatigable both had two hangar levels, albeit with a limited 14-foot (4.3 m) head room.

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Wikipedia