NAVYPEDIA

Photo

Arromanches 1965 Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Arromanches (ex-Colossus)	1950- R95	55	Vickers-Armstrong, Elswick, UK	1.6.1942	30.9.1943	16.12.1944 // 6.8.1946	stricken 1974

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	14000
Displacement full, t	17900
Length, m	192.0 pp 211.3 oa
Breadth, m	24.4 wl 34.2 fd
Draught, m	7.09 deep load
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 sets Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	40000
Max speed, kts	25
Fuel, t	oil 3196
Endurance, nm(kts)	12000(14)
Armament	6 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 19 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 37 aircraft (Seafire fighters)
Electronic equipment	type 79B, type 281B, 6x type 282 radars, type 144 sonar
Complement	1400

Air group

Year	Fighters	diving bombers	Helicopters
8.1946	37 Seafire	---	---
1949	12 Seafire	12 SBD Dauntless	---
1953	12 F6F Hellcat	12 SB2C Helldiver	---
1956	16 F4U Corsair	8 TBM Avenger	---
1962	---	---	24 HSS-1

Standard scale images

Graphics

Aircraft facilities

 (fd - 5,131m², ha - 2,142m² / 11,355m³): Flight deck: 210.3x24.4m; hangar: 135.6x15.8x5.3m. Two lifts: 13.7x10.4m, 6.8t. 1 catapult BH-III (6.4t plane launched at 122km/h). Aircraft fuel stowage: 448 200l.  

Project history

Former British lead-class carrier Colossus.

The design of light aircraft carrier with 13200t displacement was ready in 1942. Special attention was given to adaptability to manufacture and cheapness: such ships were supposed to build in a large batch and in the short time. As a whole Colossus has been constructed rather rational. Protection was not provided by the design, except for the steel 10mm plating covering aviation magazines.

Hull was designed on norms of merchant shipbuilding, without built in underwater protection, however thus had rational sectioning into compartments and stored unsinkability at torpedo hit into main transverse bulkheads area. Damage tolerance raise was promoted and by arrangement of machinery en echelon, holding 4 holds (2 engine and 2 boiler rooms).

Ship protection

There were mantlets around aircraft torpedoes warheads rooms only. Their thickness was 10mm. Longitudinal watertight bulkheads covered the machinery.

Modernizations

1958: 4°-angled flight deck was installed (maximal beam rose to 36.0m), all armament and catapult were removed, DRBV-22A radar was installed. Airgroup consisted of Alizé ASW and Zéphyr training planes. Carrier was intended to training role.

1968: ship was converted to multirole helicopter carrier able for training, ASW, assault and transport roles.

Naval service

Arromanches was transferred in 1946 on loan and purchased outright in 1951. She was deployed in Indo-China in 1950s, in Suez operation in 1956. After major refit in 1957-1958 she became a training carrier, intended to training of pilots for modern carriers Clemenceau and Foch. In 1962 Arromanche received a squadron of HSS-1 helicopters and took on also assaulting role. She was re-rated as helicopter carrier in 1968 after major refit able to be used in many roles: for training, ASW, assault, fast operational transport.

Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.