HMS Furious 47 was laid down during World War 1 in 1915 as a battlecruiser but emerged as a hybrid aircraft carrier before her construction was completed - managing a career into World War 2.
The origin of HMS Furious dates back to pre-World War 1 (1914-1918) days when First Lord of the Admiralty Jack Fisher called for a three-strong group of fighting "battlecruisers". These were warships with all of the elements of a traditional battleship but given reduced armor protection so as to make them faster in open water. Additionally their draughts were drawn up as shallow so as to be capable of operating in the critical lanes of the Baltic Sea. The three warships of what became the "Courageous-class" were HMS Courageous, HMS Glorious and HMS Furious and, at different points in their service lives, all were eventually earmarked for conversion to aircraft carriers to serve the British Royal Navy.
HMS Furious Basics and Walk-Around
HMS Furious was laid down by Armstrong Whitworth on June 8th, 1915 and launched for trials on August 15th, 1916. Her completion was delayed in the hopes of securing the intended 18" guns, the Royal Navy's largest weapons, which later arrived to complete her profile. She was commissioned on June 26th, 1917 and assigned Pennant Number "47" in the Royal Navy inventory fighting under the motto "Ministrat Arma Furor" ("Fury Supplies Arms").
As designed, the vessel carried two of the massive 18" guns in a pair of primary turrets, one fitted fore and one fitted aft of the centralized hull superstructure. Additional firepower stemmed from 11 x 5.5" guns in single-gunned mounts, 2 x QF 3" guns in single-gunned mounts (as an anti-aircraft measure), and 2 x 21" torpedo tubes.
The profile included a twin-main mast approach with a single funnel seated at midships. Aboard was a crew of 737. Armor reached 3" at the belt, 3" at the decks, 7" at the barbettes, 9 " at the primary turrets, and 10" at the conning tower. Installed machinery, consisting of 18 x Yarrow boilers feeding 4 x Geared steam turbines, developed 90,000 horsepower to 4 x Shafts under stern. Maximum speed, in ideal conditions, reached 31.5 knots.
Dimensions included an overall length of 786.8 feet, a beam of 88 feet, and a draught of 24.10 feet. Displacement was 19,825 tons under normal loads and up to 23,260 tons under full loads.
In November of that year, the warship was returned to continue her progression to aircraft carrier. This involved replacement of the aft primary gun turret with another hangar/fly-off deck combination but with better prospects installed for landing on the moving ship. A section of deck now joined the forward and aft decks to better manage the flow of aircraft. However, the unchanged superstructure, coupled with the new and existing deck works, meant that the warship suffered from too much wind-over-deck at-speed which led to enough accidents to restrict onboard landings considerably.
The changes left Furious as something of a mutt for it was now neither a battlecruiser nor was it a true aircraft carrier by definition. Nevertheless, she played an important early role for the British in carrier-based operations involving aircraft. Her first attack by way of aircraft came July 19th, 1918 when Sopwith Camels were launched against Zeppelin shed structures, destroying two as well as a pair of Zeppelins. World War 1 then ended in the Armistice of November 1918.
HMS Furious Reborn
A more complete rebuild project followed in the post-war world, the overhaul occurring from 1921 until 1925 and incorporating lessons learned from two of the Royal Navy's earlier aircraft carriers, HMS Argus and HMS Eagle (both detailed elsewhere on this site). During this major refit period, her superstructure was entirely done away with and replaced by a through-deck running along three-quarters of her length, from aft of the forecastle to the stern. No island superstructure was given (this not added until the 1939 refit and set to include a short mast seating a homing beacon function) but a two-story hangar area was now set under the flight deck and capable of housing some thirty-six aircraft. The operating crew soon grew to become 795 personnel.
Her new form showcased an overall length of 735.2 feet, a beam of 89 feet, and a draught of 27.2 feet. Displacement grew to 22,900 tons under normal loads and 26,900 tons under full loads. The same machinery outputted 90,000 horsepower to 4 x Shafts but her outright speed was reduced some to 30 knots. Range was out to 7,500 nautical miles. The armament scheme now involved 10 x 5.5" guns in single-gunned mountings and 6 x 4" guns in single-gunned mountings - all more or less intended to protect the vessel from aircraft attacks.
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