NAVYPEDIA

Photo

Pretoria Castle 1944

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Pretoria Castle	F61	1006	Harland & Wolff, Belfast // Swan Hunter, Wallsend	?	12.10.1938	1939 // 9.4.1943	sold mercantile 4.1946

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	19650
Displacement full, t	23450
Length, m	180.4
Breadth, m	23.3 wl
Draught, m	8.89 deep load
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 Burmeister & Wain diesels
Power, h. p.	16000
Max speed, kts	18
Fuel, t	diesel oil 2430
Endurance, nm(kts)	16000(16)
Armour, mm	magazines, steering gear: splinter protection
Armament	2 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI, 14 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 21 aircraft (Fulmar, Sea Hurricane, Seafire, Martlet, Corsair fighters, Swordfish, Albacore, Barracuda torpedo bombers)
Electronic equipment	type 279, type 281 radars
Complement	666

Air group

Year	Fighters	torpedo bombers
1944	6 Sea Hurricane	12 Swordfish

Graphics

Aircraft facilities(fd - 3,977m², ha - ~ 2,100m² / 11,130m³)

 (fd - 3,977m², ha - ~ 2,100m² / 11,130m³): Flight deck: 170.7x23.3m, hangar 70.4x18.5x5.3m. There was a lift (13.7x11.9m, 6.8t) and 1 catapult C-II (6.4t plane was launched at 122km/h). Aircraft fuel stowage was 345,500l.

Project history

Former passenger liner (17,392BRT) was mobilized in October, 1939 and converted to armed merchant cruiser. In the mid-1942 the decision to convert her to escort aircraft carrier was accepted. Converted to carrier 7.1942 - 8.1943. Pretoria Castle became the largest escort aircraft carrier in the world. Unlike remaining representatives of the type, she had a light protection of magazines and steering gear, and also underwater protection consisted of empty compartments fitted alongside. Two planned octuple pompoms were never installed.

Protection

there were splinter protection of magazines and steering gear and underwater protection.

Modernizations

None.

1/1946: 2 x 2 - 102/45 Mk XIX, 14 x 2 - 20/70 Mk V, 21 aircraft, type 279, type 281 radars

Naval service

No significant events.

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