NAVYPEDIA

Photo

Perseus 1952

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Colossus	15	55	Vickers-Armstrong, Tyne	1.6.1942	30.9.1943	16.12.1944	to France 8.1946 (Arromanches)
Glory	62, 1948- R62	1191	Harland & Wolff, Belfast	27.8.1942	27.11.1943	2.4.1945	stricken 1957
Venerable	04	1126	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead	3.12.1942	30.12.1943	17.1.1945	to Netherlands 5.1948 (Karel Doorman)
Vengeance  (RAN 11.1952-10/1955)	71, 1948- R71	1699	Swan Hunter, Wallsend	16.11.1942	23.2.1944	15.1.1945	to Australia 1952 - 1955, to Brazil 12.1956 (Minas Gerais)
Warrior (RCN 1.1946-3/1948)	31, 1948- R31	1224	Harland & Wolff, Belfast	12.12.1942	20.5.1944	14.3.1946 // 1948	to Canada before completion 1946 - 1948, to Argentina 7.1958 (Independencia)
Theseus	64, 1948- R64	709	Fairfield, Govan	6.1.1943	6.7.1944	9.2.1946	stricken 3.1958
Ocean	68, 1948- R68	598	A. Stephens, Linthouse	8.11.1942	8.7.1944	8.8.1945	stricken 3.1958
Triumph	16, 1948- R16	662	Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn	27.1.1943	2.10.1944	9.5.1946	repair ship 1.1965
Perseus (ex-Edgar)	D51, 1948- R51, 1953- A197	56	Vickers-Armstrong, Tyne	1.6.1942	26.3.1944	19.10.1945 // ---	completed as aircraft maintenance ship, stricken 1958
Pioneer (ex-Mars)	D76, 1948- R76, 1953- A198	884	Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow	2.12.1942	20.5.1944	8.2.1945 // ---	completed as aircraft maintenance ship, stricken 1954

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	13190 Theseus, Triumph, Warrior: 13350
Displacement full, t	18040 Theseus, Triumph, Warrior: 18300
Length, m	192 pp 211.2 - 211.8 oa
Breadth, m	24.4 wl
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	Colossus, Glory, Venerable, Vengeance: 6 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 11 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 10 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 37 aircraft (Seafire, Firefly, Wildcat, Corsair, Hellcat fighters, Swordfish, Barracuda, Avenger torpedo bombers) Theseus, Warrior: 19 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 6 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 37 aircraft (Seafire, Firefly fighters, Barracuda, Firebrand torpedo bombers) Triumph: 12 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 6 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 3 x 1 - 40/39 Mk VIII, 37 aircraft (Seafire, Firefly fighters, Barracuda, Firebrand torpedo bombers) Ocean: 6 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 7 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 10 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 32 aircraft (Hellcat fighters)
Electronic equipment	type 79B, type 281B, 6x type 282 radars, type 144 sonar Ocean: SM-1, 6x type 282, type 293 radars, type 144 sonar
Complement	1300

Air group

Year	Fighters	torpedo bombers	Helicopters
8.1945 Glory	21 Corsair	18 Barracuda	---
5.1950 Vengeance	12 Firefly Mk.5, 8 Sea Hornet NF.21	---	---
7.1950 Triumph	12 Firefly FR.1, 12 Seafire F.47	---	---
5.1952 Ocean	22 Sea Fury FB.11	12 Firefly AS.5	---
11.1956 Ocean	---	---	6 Whirlwind HAR.1, 6 Sycamore HAR.1
11.1956 Theseus	---	---	10 Whirlwind HAR.1

Standard scale images

Graphics

Aircraft facilities

 (fd - 5,131m², ha - 2,142m² / 11,355m³): Flight deck: 210.3x24.4m; hangar: 135.6x15.8x 5.3m. Two lifts: 13.7x10.4m, 6.8t. 1 catapult BH-III (6.4t plane was launched at 122km/h). Aircraft fuel stowage: 448,200l.

Project history

The design of 13200t light aircraft carrier was ready in 1942. Special attention was given to construction simplicity and cheapness: such ships were supposed to be built 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 merchant shipbuilding standards, without special underwater protection, however ships had rational sectioning into compartments and kept unsinkability at torpedo hit into main transverse bulkheads area. Damage tolerance raise was promoted and by arrangement of machinery en echelon, placed in 4 compartments (2 engine and 2 boiler rooms).

Pioneer and Perseus were completed as aircraft maintenance ships.

Protection

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

Modernizations

mid-1945: Colossus: - 11 x 2 - 20/70, 10 x 1 - 20/70; + 19 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors Mk I/III

mid-1945: Glory: - 11 x 2 - 20/70, 10 x 1 - 20/70; + 17 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors Mk I/III

mid-1945: Venerable: - 11 x 2 - 20/70, 10 x 1 - 20/70; + 21 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors Mk III

mid-1945: Vengeance: - 11 x 2 - 20/70, 10 x 1 - 20/70; + 12 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors Mk I/III

mid-1945, Ocean: - 11 x 2 - 20/70, 10 x 1 - 20/70; + 28 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors Mk I/III

1/1946, Colossus: 19 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 6 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 37 aircraft, type 79B, type 281B, 6x type 282 radars, type 144 sonar

1/1946, Glory: 17 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 6 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 37 aircraft, type 79B, type 281B, 6x type 282 radars, type 144 sonar

1/1946, Venerable: 21 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 6 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 37 aircraft, type 79B, type 281B, 6x type 282 radars, type 144 sonar

1/1946, Vengeance: 12 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 6 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 37 aircraft, type 79B, type 281B, 6x type 282 radars, type 144 sonar

1/1946, Ocean: 28 x 1 - 40/60 Mk III, 6 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 37 aircraft, 6x type 282, type 293, SM-1 radars, type 144 sonar

early 1950s, all survived: - type 79B, 281B radars; + type 277, type 293 radars.

9/1953, Warrior: enlarged bridge, lattice foremast. - 6 x 4 - 40/39, 6x type 282 radars; + 4 x 2 - 40/60 Mk 5, 1 x 1 - 40/60 Mk 3, 4x type 262 radars

8/1956, Warrior: partial angle deck, new arrester gear and catapult (9.1t plane was launched at 110km/h). Full displacement was 19600t, max speed: 23kts.

Naval service

Warrior was used as HQ ship for nuclear test in 1957. Triumph was converted to repair ship in 12.1957 - 1.1965 and stricken in 1980. Perseus and Pioneer were completed as aircraft maintenance ships (displacement standard: 16265 t, 211.7x24.5x7m, 4 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV). Oerlikons were replaced by 2 single Bofors in 1946 - 1947. Both ships were reclassified to ferry carriers in 1953. Pioneer was sold for BU in 1954, Perseus was scrapped in 1957.

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