HMS Furious (47)
Encyclopedia
HMS Furious (pennant number
47) was a modified cruiser
built for the Royal Navy
during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project
championed by the First Sea Lord
of the Admiralty
, Lord John Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Furious was modified while under construction as an aircraft carrier
. Her forward turret was removed and a flight deck
was added in its place, so that aircraft had to manoeuvre around the superstructure to land. Later in the war the ship had her rear turret removed and a second flight deck installed aft of the superstructure, but this was less than satisfactory due to air turbulence
. Furious was briefly laid up after the war before she was reconstructed with a full-length flight deck in the early 1920s.
After her conversion Furious was used extensively for trials of naval aircraft and later as a training carrier once the new armoured carriers like entered service in the late 1930s. During the early months of the Second World War
the carrier spent her time hunting for German raiders in the North Atlantic and escorting convoys. This changed dramatically during the Norwegian Campaign
in early 1940 when her aircraft provided air support to British troops ashore in addition to attacking German shipping. The first of what would be a large number of aircraft ferry missions was made by the carrier during the campaign. After the withdrawal of British troops in May Furious made several anti-shipping strikes in Norway with little result before beginning a steady routine of ferrying aircraft for the Royal Air Force
.
At first Furious made several trips to West Africa
, but she began to ferry aircraft to Gibraltar
in 1941. An unsuccessful attack on German-occupied ports on the Arctic Ocean
interrupted the ferry missions in mid-1941. Furious was given a lengthy refit in the United States and spent a few months training after her return in April 1942. She made several more ferry trips in mid-1942 before her aircraft attacked airfields in Vichy French Algeria
as part of the opening stages of Operation Torch
in November 1942. The ship remained in the Mediterranean until February 1943 when she was transferred to the Home Fleet.
Furious spent most of 1943 training, but made a number of attacks on the and other targets in Norway during the first half of 1944. By September 1944 the ship was showing her age and she was placed in reserve. Furious was decommissioned in April 1945, but was not sold for scrap
until 1948.
Fisher was prevented from ordering an improved version of the preceding s by a wartime restriction that banned construction of ships larger than light cruisers. To obtain ships suitable for traditional battlecruiser roles, such as scouting for fleets and hunting enemy raiders, he settled on ships with the minimal armour of a light cruiser and the armament of a battlecruiser. He justified their existence by claiming he needed fast, shallow-draught ships for his Baltic Project, a plan to invade Germany via its Baltic coast.
Furious had an overall length of 786 in 9 in (239.8 m), a beam of 88 feet (26.8 m), and a draught of 24 in 11 in (7.59 m) at deep load. She displaced 19513 long tons (19,826 t) normally and 22890 long tons (23,257 t) at deep load. She had a metacentric height of 5.33 feet (1.6 m) at deep load. Furious and her half-sisters
were the first large warships in the Royal Navy to have geared steam turbine
s. To save time the installation used in the light cruiser , the first cruiser in the RN with geared turbines, was simply doubled. The Brown-Curtis turbines were powered by eighteen Yarrow
small-tube boilers
. They were designed to produce a total of 90000 shp at a working pressure of 235 pound per square inch. The ship's speed was an estimated 31.5 knots (17.1 m/s), but she never ran her sea trial
s.
Furious was designed to normally carry 750 long tons (762 t) of fuel oil
, but could carry a maximum of 3160 long tons (3,211 t). At full capacity, she could steam for an estimated 6000 nautical mile at a speed of 20 knots.
The ship was designed to carry two BL 18-inch Mark I guns in two twin hydraulically powered Mark I turrets, one each fore ('A') and aft ('Y'). Her secondary armament consisted of 11 BL 5.5-inch Mk I
guns. A pair of QF 3 inch 20 cwt
"cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight
, 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. anti-aircraft
guns were mounted before the funnel. Furious mounted two submerged tubes
for 21-inch torpedoes
and 10 torpedoes were carried.
Even as she was being built, Furious was modified with a large hangar capable of housing ten aircraft on her forecastle that replaced the forward turret. A 160-foot (49 m) flight deck was built along its roof. Aircraft were flown off and less successfully landed on this deck. Floatplane
s like the Short Type 184
used a four-wheel trolley that ran down a track along the center of the flight deck for take-off. Aircraft were lifted by crane from the hangar to the flight deck. Although the aft turret was fitted and the gun tested, it was not long before Furious returned to her builders for further modifications. In November 1917 the rear turret was replaced by a 300-foot (91 m) deck for landing aircraft over another hangar. Her funnel and superstructure remained intact, with a narrow strip of decking around them to connect the fore and aft flight decks. Turbulence
from the funnel and superstructure was severe enough that only three landing attempts were successful before further attempts were forbidden. Her 18-inch guns were reused on s and during the war.
On 2 August 1917, while performing trials, Squadron Commander
Edwin Dunning
landed a Sopwith Pup
, believed to have been N6453
, successfully on board Furious, becoming the first person to land an aircraft on a moving ship. On 7 August, he made one more successful landing in the same manner, however on his third attempt, in Pup N6452, he tried to go around for a better approach, the rotary engine choked, and the aircraft crashed off the starboard bow, killing him. The deck arrangement was unsatisfactory; in order to land, aircraft had to manoeuvre around the superstructure.
In the meantime, however, all three ships were assigned to the 1st CS of which Courageous was flagship
, in October 1917 when the Admiralty received word of German ship movements on 16 October, possibly indicating some sort of raid. Admiral
Beatty
, commander of the Grand Fleet ordered most of his light cruisers and destroyers to sea in an effort to locate the enemy ships. Furious was detached from the 1st CS and ordered to sweep along the 56th parallel as far as 4° East and to return before dark. The other two ships were not initially ordered to sea, but were sent to reinforce the 2nd LCS patrolling the central part of the North Sea
later that day. Two German light cruiser
s managed to slip through the gaps in the British patrols and destroyed the Scandinavia convoy during the morning of 17 October, but no word was received of the engagement until that afternoon. The 1st CS was ordered to attempt to intercept the German ships, but they proved to be faster than hoped and the British ships were unsuccessful.
She returned to the dockyard in 1917 to have the aft turret removed and replaced by another 300-foot (91 m) deck for landing and a second hangar, giving her both a launching and a recovery deck. Two lifts serving the hangars were also installed. Furious was recommissioned on 15 March 1918 and her embarked aircraft were used on anti-Zeppelin
patrols in the North Sea after May. In July 1918 she flew off seven Sopwith Camel
s which participated in the Tondern raid
, attacking the Zeppelin sheds at Tondern with moderate success.
. She was laid up after the war, but was converted to an aircraft carrier between June 1921 and September 1925. Her design was based on experience gained with the first two British carriers, and , although this was very limited as Argus was less than three years old and Eagle had only carried out 143 deck landings during her preliminary sea trial
s in 1920.
The ship's superstructure, masts, funnel and landing deck were removed and she was given a 576 by flight deck that extended over three-quarters of her length. This flight deck was not level; it sloped upwards about ¾ of the way from the stern to help slow down landing aircraft, which had no brakes at the time it was designed. The fore-and-aft arresting gear
(320 feet (97.5 m) long on Furious) of the time was not intended to stop landing aircraft—the landing speeds of the time were low enough that this was unnecessary given a good headwind—but rather to prevent aircraft from veering off to one side and potentially falling off the flight deck. Various designs for the flight deck were tested in a wind tunnel by the National Physical Laboratory which showed that the distinctive elliptical shape and rounded edges used minimised turbulence. A two-level hangar
was built under the flight deck
, each level being 15 feet (4.6 m) high. The lower hangar was 550 feet (167.6 m) long by 35–50 ft (10.7–15.2 ) wide and the upper was 520 by. Each hangar could be sectioned off by electrically operated steel shutters on rollers. Her boilers were ducted down the side of the ship to exhaust either out of gratings at the rear of the flight deck, or, when landing operations were in progress, out of the side of the lower hangar at the rear of the ship. This solution proved to be very unsatisfactory as it consumed valuable space, made parts of the lower hangar untenable and interfered with landing operations to a greater or lesser degree. Her original flying-off deck remained in place for use by small aircraft like fighters
which allowed the ship to simultaneously land aircraft on the main flight deck while fighters were taking off on the lower deck or to speedily fly off her aircraft from both decks. Doors at the forward end of the upper hangar opened onto the lower flying deck. Like Argus, Furious was flush-decked
and lacked an island superstructure
to minimise any turbulence over the flight deck; instead she was provided with a retractable charthouse at the forward end of the flight deck. Two semi-cruciform 47 by 46 ft (14.3 by 14 m) lifts (elevators) were installed to transfer aircraft between the flight deck and hangars. No arresting gear was fitted and two 600 imp gal (2,727.7 l; 720.6 US gal) ready-use petrol tanks were provided for aircraft and the ship's boats on the upper deck. An additional 20000 imp gal (90,921.8 l; 24,019 US gal) of petrol were in bulk storage.
Furious was not lengthened, but her beam was increased 1 foot (0.3048 m) to 89 foot and her average draught was now 27 in 3 in (8.31 m) at deep load, 2 foot (0.6096 m) deeper than before the conversion. She displaced 22500 long tons (22,861.1 t) at normal load and 26500 LT (26,925.3 t) at deep load, over 3000 long tons more than her previous displacement. Her metacentric height was 3.6 feet (1.1 m) at deep load, a reduction of 1.48 foot (0.451104 m) after her conversion. During the ship's post-conversion sea trial
s she reached 30.03 knots (16.3 m/s). Her fuel capacity was increased by 700 long tons (711.2 t) during her reconstruction, which increased her range to 5300 nautical miles (9,815.6 km) at a speed of 16 knots.
guns replaced her original anti-aircraft
guns. Four were mounted on the sides of the flying-off deck and two on the quarterdeck
. The four guns on the flying-off deck were removed in 1926–27 for trials of the lower flight deck, but only two were replaced when the trials were concluded. Four single QF 2-pounder pom-poms
were installed in 1927. During Furiouss September 1930–February 1932 refit her anti-aircraft outfit was changed by the addition of two eight-barrel QF 2-pounder Mark V pom-pom mounts where the forward 4-inch guns on the flying-off deck had been removed earlier.
The 5.5-inch and 4-inch guns were replaced during her refit in early 1939 by a dozen QF 4-inch Mk XVI guns
in twin dual-purpose
Mark XIX mounts. One mount each was on the former flying-off deck and the quarterdeck while the other four were mounted two per side. Two more Mark V 2-pounder mounts were added fore and aft of the newly added island superstructure at the same time. While refitting in the United States, the ship was fitted with a maximum of 22 manually operated automatic 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) Oerlikon
light anti-aircraft guns, which replaced the single quadruple Vickers .50 machine gun mount
.
A single High Angle Control System director was fitted on the island and another on an elevation mount on the former flying-off deck. Two "pom-pom" directors were also mounted on the island for the weapons mounted fore and aft of the island.
), two of spotters (Blackburn Blackburn
or Avro Bison
), one spotter reconnaissance (Fairey III
D) and two flights of torpedo bombers (Blackburn Dart
). From 1933 to the end of 1938 Furious carried 801 Squadron
which initially flew a mixture of six Hawker Nimrod
and three Flycatcher fighters. Hawker Osprey fighters replaced the Flycatchers in early 1934 and the Nimrods were withdrawn in October 1936. 811 and 822 Squadrons were embarked for reconnaissance and anti-shipping missions. They flew the Blackburn Ripon
, the Blackburn Baffin
and the Fairey Swordfish
torpedo bomber
s and as well as the Fairey IIIF, the Fairey Seal
and the Blackburn Shark
reconnaissance aircraft. As a deck landing training carrier in 1939 Furious embarked 767 Squadron, flying Shark, Swordfish and Fairey Albacore
torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, and 769 Squadron, flying Blackburn Skua
, Blackburn Roc
, and Gloster Sea Gladiator fighters.
(FAA) inventory. These included landing and flying-off tests of Fairey IIID and Fairey Flycatcher floatplane
s, with and without wheels, to compare various designs of wooden and metal floats. The lower flight deck was greased to allow them to take off with a minimum of difficulty. A Flycatcher fitted with wooden skids was also tested and behaved perfectly satisfactorily. The arresting gear was barely used during these trials and it was removed shortly afterwards. Deck-edge palisades were installed in 1927 to keep aircraft from blowing over the side in rough weather. The first carrier night-landing was made by a Blackburn Dart on 6 May 1926 aboard Furious.
Furious was reduced to reserve on 1 July 1930 in preparation for a lengthy overhaul at Devonport
. It lasted from September 1930 to February 1932 and was focused on refitting her machinery and re-tubing her boilers. In addition her quarterdeck was raised by one deck, the AA armament was revised and spraying facilities were fitted in the hangars. Upon completion she ran a full-power trial on 16 February 1932 where her maximum speed was 28.8 knots (15.7 m/s) from a total of 89745 shp.
Furious recommissioned in May 1932 as part of the Home Fleet with a reduced crew before being brought up to full complement in November. Transverse arresting gear was fitted sometime during the mid-1930s. She was detached to the Mediterranean Fleet
from May to October 1934. Furious
was present at the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead
on 20 May 1937 for George VI. She became a deck-landing training carrier in 1937, although she was refitted in Devonport between December 1937 and May 1938 where the forward end of her lower flight deck was raised to make her less wet forward. During the Munich Crisis in September 1938 she embarked 801, 821
and 822 Squadrons and joined the fleet at Scapa Flow
, before resuming her training duties after the peaceful conclusion of the affair. She was struck a glancing blow by the destroyer during this time, but suffered only minor damage.
The ship was given a more extensive refit from January to May 1939 that removed her 5.5-inch guns and palisades, mounted anti-aircraft guns on her lower flying-off deck, plated in the doors at the forward end of the upper hangar, and gave her a small island on the starboard side. Furious resumed her training duties after the completion of the refit and continued them until October 1939.
until 2 October 1939. She was then assigned to the Home Fleet to replace the sunken Courageous and embarked nine Swordfish aircraft from 816 Squadron and a detachment of three more Swordfish from 818 Squadron
. The ship sortied on 8 October with the fleet to unsuccessfully hunt for the and escorting ships which had been spotted off southern Norway
. After returning from this search, Furious departed her berth adjacent to the battleship in Scapa Flow
for more futile searches for German ships on 13 October, the day before Royal Oak was sunk by . Afterwards she was transferred to Halifax
, Nova Scotia
, where she and the battlecruiser formed a hunting group for German raiders. Furious served as the flagship for the convoy bringing most of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division
to Britain in mid-December 1939. In the darkness on 17 December the west-bound ocean liner
SS Samaria passed through the convoy unseen. She ripped off the horizontal wireless masts on Furiouss starboard side, carried away five overhanging lifeboat
s from the port side of and just missed the third and fourth ships in line.
aboard. Sixteen Swordfish made unsuccessful torpedo attacks on German ships in Trondheim harbour the following morning. On 12 April both squadrons attempted to attack German ships in Narvik in bad weather. Disappointed with the failure of the torpedo attacks the previous day bombs are carried instead. 818 Squadron, making the first attack, damaged several captured Norwegian ships, but lost two aircraft to flak, although the crews were rescued by the British cruiser and the destroyer . 816 Squadron following 40 minutes behind was forced to turn back by heavy weather. One aircraft was lost while landing, but the crew was recovered. Another attack was launched the next day in support of the British ships entering Narvik, but they contributed little and another pair of Swordfish were shot down.
Furious, ordered to remain behind after the bulk of the Home Fleet departed on 15 April, departed the Narvik area on 14 April, escorted by three destroyers, to refuel at Tromsø
. En route her Swordfish attacked Junkers Ju 52
transports that had landed on frozen Lake Hartvikvatnet
approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north east of Narvik. Two of the Ju 52s were destroyed and several others damaged. She reached the port on 16 April with only 27% of her fuel remaining. She stayed there until 18 April when she headed south to scout the Narvik area. She was attacked en route by a single Heinkel He 111
of II./KG 26
from very high altitude. Two large bombs narrowly missed the ship, the closest only 11 yards (10.1 m) off the port side aft. The shock shook her propeller shafts out of alignment and jarred the port inner high-pressure turbine so that she was limited to only 20 knots (10.9 m/s). Furious remained off the coast of Norway despite the damage and attempted to fly off aircraft on 22 April, despite severe weather, to discourage German aircraft from delivering supplies to the German forces in Narvik. One aircraft was shot down by the Germans and the others returned reporting heavy snowstorms between the ship and Narvik. The weather worsened the next day and Captain
Troubridge
decided to head to Harstad
to check the damage from the near miss. It proved worse than anticipated and he was ordered back to the United Kingdom Only six of the nine remaining Swordfish were serviceable.
After quick repairs, which included the removal of several rows of turbine blades, Furious returned to Norway on 18 May carrying the Gladiators
of a reformed Royal Air Force
263 Squadron
; they were flown off on 21 April once their base at Bardufoss
was ready. One Gladiator and the guiding Swordfish crashed en route, all the crewmen being killed. She returned to Scapa Flow once all the Gladiators had been flown off. The ship only carried six Sea Gladiators of 804 Squadron
and nine Swordfish of 816 Squadron for self-protection while ferrying 263 Squadron.
On 14 June, carrying only half of 816 Squadron for her own protection, Furious sailed unescorted for Halifax carrying £18,000,000 in gold bullion. On 1 July she escorted a convoy of Canadian troops bound for Iceland
from Halifax and ferried over almost 50 aircraft, spare parts and munitions. On his own initiative, Captain Troubridge ordered all available space should be used for sugar for rationed Britain. She embarked the rest of 816 Squadron, as well as nine Skuas of 801 Squadron and nine Swordfish of 825
, upon her arrival and made a number of air strikes on shipping in Norwegian waters and on the seaplane base at Tromsø in September and October 1940. "No noteworthy results were obtained and several aircraft were lost." Both Swordfish squadrons were landed afterwards to make room as she prepared to resume her role as an aircraft transport.
, in Liverpool
on 7 November and sailed for Takoradi, Gold Coast
on 15 November where they were flown off or off-loaded on the 27 November with the ultimate destination of Egypt
. During this time she retained only six Skuas
of 801 Squadron for her own protection. Furious was back in Liverpool by 15 December where she embarked 40 more Hurricanes for Takoradi. She sailed on the 21 December and joined up with Convoy WS5A and the small carrier . The encountered the convoy on 25 December, but little damage was inflicted by Hipper before she was driven off by the escorts. No air strike could be flown against the German cruiser because the Swordfish were embarked in Argus with bombs that they could not carry and the torpedoes were aboard Furious. After Furiouss Skuas had flown off to search for Hipper, space was made to land the Swordfish to load the torpedoes, but the Skuas could not locate Hipper because of the poor visibility. Furious reached Takoradi on 10 January 1941 and arrived back in Britain on 5 February where she was given a brief refit. She made another ferry trip to Takoradi on 4 March, carrying 12 Fairey Fulmar
s of 807 Squadron
and six Swordfish of 825 Squadron for self-defence.
Furious now had a new destination for her ferry trips and she transported 24 Hurricanes to Gibraltar
on 25 April where they were transferred to to be flown off for Malta
. She sailed for a brief refit at Belfast
immediately afterwards. While in Belfast she was hit by one small bomb and near-missed by two others by a German air raid in early May, but only lightly damaged. The ship loaded another batch of 40 Hurricane IIs, plus nine Fulmars from 'X' Flight of 800 Squadron in Liverpool
and arrived back in Gibraltar on 18 May. Some of these fighters were moved to Ark Royal via planks between the flight decks of the carriers berthed stern to stern. This time she accompanied Ark Royal and the two carriers flew off their fighters from a position south of Sardinia
. Furious loaded 48 more Hurricane IIs and arrived back in Gibraltar on 1 June where some of the fighters were transferred to Ark Royal. The two carriers departed Gibraltar on 4 June and flew off 44 of the 48 fighters. Furious returned to the Clyde
for her biggest load of aircraft yet, 64 Hurricanes which meant that she only had room for nine Swordfish from 816 Squadron on this voyage. Upon her arrival on 25 June she transferred 22 Hurricanes to Ark Royal and that carrier flew them off to Malta the next day. 42 Hurricanes had been left on Furious and 26 of these were moved to Ark Royal when she returned on 28 June. This time, however, both carriers sailed to deliver the fighters to their usual take-off point west of Sicily. Nine of Furiouss aircraft had taken off when the tenth aircraft crashed into Furiouss island while taking off. The crash killed 14 men and started a serious fire on the flight deck. The blocked flight deck forced the remaining six Hurricanes to remain on board and they were returned to Gibraltar. Furious exchanged 816 Squadron for 818 from Ark Royal before she departed.
In July Furious embarked nine Fulmars of 800 Squadron, 'A' Flight of 880 Squadron with four Sea Hurricane IAs, nine Swordfish from 812 Squadron
and nine Albacores of 817 Squadron
to attack the German-occupied ports of Kirkenes, Norway and Petsamo, Finland
in cooperation with the carrier . The two carriers and their escorts gathered in Seidisfjord
, Iceland
under the command of Rear Admiral
Wake-Walker
where they re-fueled in late July. Furious attacked ships in Petsamo on 30 July with all of her Swordfish and Albacores, escorted by six Fulmars and all four Sea Hurricanes, but there was very little shipping present. One small ship, MV Trotter, was sunk, several oil storage tanks set afire and several wooden jetties were torpedoed. The British ships had been spotted before the attack and two Fulmars and an Albacore were shot down by the alerted defences. Furious was short of fuel and had to leave shortly afterwards, but she transferred her Albacores to Victorious to fill up that carrier's decimated squadrons before she left. Sea Hurricanes of 880 Squadron shot down a shadowing Dornier Do 18
flying boat
on 31 July as the ship was leaving.
On 30 August Furious left Belfast with a load of 49 Hurricanes, carrying three Fulmars of 800 Squadron and four Sea Hurricane IBs of 880A Squadron for self-defence, and nine Swordfish of 812 Squadron for Ark Royal. She arrived in Gibraltar on 6 September and transferred 40 Hurricanes to the other carrier the next day. Ark Royal sailed for the departure point the following day, but could only fly off 14 Hurricanes because the other Bristol Blenheim
s used to guide the fighters to Malta failed to make their rendezvous. When Ark Royal returned she transferred the six Swordfish of 810 Squadron to Furious and both carriers departed that same day to deliver the Hurricanes. This was Furiouss last ferry mission she was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
for a lengthy refit. She arrived on 7 October and did not return to the United Kingdom until April 1942.
Furious spent the next three months after her return working up. In August she was detailed to accompany the convoy bound for Malta in Operation Pedestal
, but she was only to sail far enough with them to allow her 38 Supermarine Spitfire
s to reach Malta. This she did, just as Eagle was torpedoed, but Furious turned around after flying off her fighters and reached Gibraltar successfully. She loaded another batch of 32 Spitfires on 16 August and they were flown off the following day south-east of the Balearic Islands
. After this mission Furious was sent back to Home Fleet for training. One last mission was necessary to reinforce the defences of Malta before Operation Torch
and the ship arrived at Gibraltar on 27 October. She loaded 32 Spitfires and launched them on the 29 August before returning to Gibraltar upon which the ship was assigned to Force H
.
Furious embarked twelve Supermarine Seafire
IBs of 801 Squadron, another twelve Seafire IICs of 807 Squadron and nine Albacores of 822 Squadron to provide air cover for the amphibious landings by the Central Task Force. On the morning of 8 November Furiouss Seafires strafed
the Vichy French airfield at Tafraoui
and destroyed three aircraft on the ground and shot down one Dewoitine D.520
fighter, the first air-to-air kill by a Seafire. Eight Albacores from 822 Squadron, escorted by Sea Hurricanes from two escort carriers, attacked the field at La Senia
. They were attacked by D.520s as they began their attack dive, but they destroyed 47 aircraft despite losing three Albacores shot down and a further two damaged by the French fighters and another shot down by anti-aircraft fire.
; Furiouss role was to allow a German reconnaissance aircraft to spot the British ships and make a report then shoot it down. She was refitted in August and spent the rest of the year training. During the passage of Convoy JW-57 from the U.K. to Russia in February 1944, Furious, escorted by the British battleship and the , attacked German shipping off the Norwegian coast on 24 February. The carrier had aboard the Seafire IBs of 801 Squadron, plus the Fairey Barracuda
torpedo bombers of 827 Squadron
and 830 Squadrons
. No aircraft were lost and a beached freighter was destroyed.
In preparation for Operation Tungsten
, an attack on the , Furious and exchanged Barracuda squadrons, 827 for 831 Squadron, so that the squadrons that trained together could fly together. Furious also embarked 880 Squadron with eight Seafire L.IIC fighters to reinforce the six Seafire IBs of 801 Squadron. On the morning of 3 April 21 Barracudas of 827 and 830 Squadrons made the first attack just as the Tirpitz was getting under way for sea trials. The Germans were caught entirely by surprise and the Tirpitzs smokescreen was only just beginning to form. The British aircraft enjoyed a clear view of their target and hit the German battleship six times. An hour later the second wave of 19 Barracudas from 829 and 831 Squadrons arrived and scored eight more hits. Only one Barracuda was shot down from each wave and another crashed on take-off. 801 and 880 Squadrons were retained for fleet air defence during the operation. Tirpitzs superstructure and upper hull was moderately damaged by the bombs, but her machinery was intact because the Barracuda pilots pressed home their attack below the 3000 feet (914.4 m) altitude necessary to give their 1600 pounds (725.7 kg) armour-piercing
bombs enough velocity to penetrate Tirpitzs main armoured deck. Nonetheless Tirpitz was under repair for three months.
The Home Fleet tried another attack on Tirpitz later on 23 April, but bad weather on 24 and 25 April prevented any attack from being made. Instead the aircraft attempted to attack installations at Bodø
on 26 April, but found a German convoy instead and sank three ships. Furious and the escort carrier attacked shipping in the vicinity of Kristiansund
and sank the ore carrier
Almora and the tanker
Saarburg for the loss of two aircraft on 6 May. Another attack on Tirpitz by the Home Fleet had to be abandoned on 15 May because of poor weather. Another attempt on 28 May was foiled by bad weather, but a German convoy was successfully attacked on 1 June. One ammunition ship was sunk and two others were set on fire.
Furious and the fleet carriers and make another attempt to sink the Tirpitz on 17 July (Operation Mascot). For this attack the carrier embarked 880 Squadron with three Seafire L.IICs, 20 Grumman Hellcats of 1840 Squadron and three Swordfish of 842 Flight. The attack was unsuccessful against the fully alerted German defences as the smokescreen covered the German battleship so that the Barracudas had to drop their bombs blindly through the smoke. Four more attacks on Tirpitz were made in August under the name of Operation Goodwood in a concerted effort to sink her. Furious carried twelve Seafire F.IIIs of 801 Squadron, another twelve Seafire L.IICs of 880 Squadron and nine Barracudas of 827 Squadron for this operation. The first attack on 20 August was recalled because of bad weather, but the attack on 22 August was spotted by the Germans and eleven aircraft were lost. Another attack was made two days later; one armour-piercing bomb penetrated Tirpitzs armoured deck, but failed to detonate and another 500 pounds (226.8 kg) bomb did only superficial damage. A fourth attack was made on 29 August, but inflicted no damage.
By this time the ship's age and limitations became increasingly apparent and she was placed in reserve on 15 September 1944. The ship was paid off in April 1945 and used to evaluate the effects of aircraft explosives on the ship's structure. Furious was sold in 1948 for scrap
, and had been completely broken up at Troon
by 1954.
Pennant number
In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...
47) was a modified cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
built for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project
Baltic Project
The Baltic Project was a plan promoted by the Admiral Lord Fisher to procure a speedy victory in a war with Germany. It involved landing a substantial force, either British or Russian soldiers, on the flat beaches of Pomerania on the North German coast, under 100 miles from Berlin. To support this...
championed by the First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
of the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
, Lord John Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Furious was modified while under construction as an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
. Her forward turret was removed and a flight deck
Flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the...
was added in its place, so that aircraft had to manoeuvre around the superstructure to land. Later in the war the ship had her rear turret removed and a second flight deck installed aft of the superstructure, but this was less than satisfactory due to air turbulence
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic and stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time...
. Furious was briefly laid up after the war before she was reconstructed with a full-length flight deck in the early 1920s.
After her conversion Furious was used extensively for trials of naval aircraft and later as a training carrier once the new armoured carriers like entered service in the late 1930s. During the early months of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the carrier spent her time hunting for German raiders in the North Atlantic and escorting convoys. This changed dramatically during the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
in early 1940 when her aircraft provided air support to British troops ashore in addition to attacking German shipping. The first of what would be a large number of aircraft ferry missions was made by the carrier during the campaign. After the withdrawal of British troops in May Furious made several anti-shipping strikes in Norway with little result before beginning a steady routine of ferrying aircraft for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
At first Furious made several trips to West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, but she began to ferry aircraft to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in 1941. An unsuccessful attack on German-occupied ports on the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
interrupted the ferry missions in mid-1941. Furious was given a lengthy refit in the United States and spent a few months training after her return in April 1942. She made several more ferry trips in mid-1942 before her aircraft attacked airfields in Vichy French Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
as part of the opening stages of Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
in November 1942. The ship remained in the Mediterranean until February 1943 when she was transferred to the Home Fleet.
Furious spent most of 1943 training, but made a number of attacks on the and other targets in Norway during the first half of 1944. By September 1944 the ship was showing her age and she was placed in reserve. Furious was decommissioned in April 1945, but was not sold for scrap
Scrap
Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value...
until 1948.
Design and description
During the First World War, AdmiralAdmiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Fisher was prevented from ordering an improved version of the preceding s by a wartime restriction that banned construction of ships larger than light cruisers. To obtain ships suitable for traditional battlecruiser roles, such as scouting for fleets and hunting enemy raiders, he settled on ships with the minimal armour of a light cruiser and the armament of a battlecruiser. He justified their existence by claiming he needed fast, shallow-draught ships for his Baltic Project, a plan to invade Germany via its Baltic coast.
Furious had an overall length of 786 in 9 in (239.8 m), a beam of 88 feet (26.8 m), and a draught of 24 in 11 in (7.59 m) at deep load. She displaced 19513 long tons (19,826 t) normally and 22890 long tons (23,257 t) at deep load. She had a metacentric height of 5.33 feet (1.6 m) at deep load. Furious and her half-sisters
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
were the first large warships in the Royal Navy to have geared steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s. To save time the installation used in the light cruiser , the first cruiser in the RN with geared turbines, was simply doubled. The Brown-Curtis turbines were powered by eighteen Yarrow
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
small-tube boilers
Water-tube boiler
A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes...
. They were designed to produce a total of 90000 shp at a working pressure of 235 pound per square inch. The ship's speed was an estimated 31.5 knots (17.1 m/s), but she never ran her sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s.
Furious was designed to normally carry 750 long tons (762 t) of fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
, but could carry a maximum of 3160 long tons (3,211 t). At full capacity, she could steam for an estimated 6000 nautical mile at a speed of 20 knots.
The ship was designed to carry two BL 18-inch Mark I guns in two twin hydraulically powered Mark I turrets, one each fore ('A') and aft ('Y'). Her secondary armament consisted of 11 BL 5.5-inch Mk I
BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval gun
The Breech Loading 5.5 inch Mk I was a naval gun used by the British Royal Navy during both World Wars.-Naval history:This weapon was developed by Coventry Ordnance Works in 1913 and offered to the Greek Navy as main armament for two new cruisers building at Cammell Laird...
guns. A pair of QF 3 inch 20 cwt
QF 3 inch 20 cwt
The QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II...
"cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight
Hundredweight
The hundredweight or centum weight is a unit of mass defined in terms of the pound . The definition used in Britain differs from that used in North America. The two are distinguished by the terms long hundredweight and short hundredweight:* The long hundredweight is defined as 112 lb, which...
, 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
guns were mounted before the funnel. Furious mounted two submerged tubes
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
for 21-inch torpedoes
British 21 inch torpedo
There have been several British 21-inch diameter torpedoes used by the Royal Navy since their first development just before the First World War.They were the largest size of torpedo in common use in the RN...
and 10 torpedoes were carried.
Even as she was being built, Furious was modified with a large hangar capable of housing ten aircraft on her forecastle that replaced the forward turret. A 160-foot (49 m) flight deck was built along its roof. Aircraft were flown off and less successfully landed on this deck. Floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s like the Short Type 184
Short Type 184
|-Manufacturers:Source: Barnes and James#Brush Electrical Engineering Co. Ltd. #Frederick Sage & Co. Ltd. #J. Samuel White #Mann, Egerton & Co. Ltd. #Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company #Robey & Co. Ltd. #S E Saunders Limited...
used a four-wheel trolley that ran down a track along the center of the flight deck for take-off. Aircraft were lifted by crane from the hangar to the flight deck. Although the aft turret was fitted and the gun tested, it was not long before Furious returned to her builders for further modifications. In November 1917 the rear turret was replaced by a 300-foot (91 m) deck for landing aircraft over another hangar. Her funnel and superstructure remained intact, with a narrow strip of decking around them to connect the fore and aft flight decks. Turbulence
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic and stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time...
from the funnel and superstructure was severe enough that only three landing attempts were successful before further attempts were forbidden. Her 18-inch guns were reused on s and during the war.
Aircraft landing and the First World War
RAF officer ranks
- Ranks :-Origins:Lieutenant-General David Henderson originally proposed that Royal Air Force officers use a combination of British Army and Royal Navy ranks...
Edwin Dunning
Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning
Squadron Commander Edwin Harris Dunning, DSC , of the British Royal Naval Air Service, was the first pilot to land an aircraft on a moving ship....
landed a Sopwith Pup
Sopwith Pup
The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...
, believed to have been N6453
United Kingdom military aircraft serials
In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
, successfully on board Furious, becoming the first person to land an aircraft on a moving ship. On 7 August, he made one more successful landing in the same manner, however on his third attempt, in Pup N6452, he tried to go around for a better approach, the rotary engine choked, and the aircraft crashed off the starboard bow, killing him. The deck arrangement was unsatisfactory; in order to land, aircraft had to manoeuvre around the superstructure.
In the meantime, however, all three ships were assigned to the 1st CS of which Courageous was flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
, in October 1917 when the Admiralty received word of German ship movements on 16 October, possibly indicating some sort of raid. Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Beatty
David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...
, commander of the Grand Fleet ordered most of his light cruisers and destroyers to sea in an effort to locate the enemy ships. Furious was detached from the 1st CS and ordered to sweep along the 56th parallel as far as 4° East and to return before dark. The other two ships were not initially ordered to sea, but were sent to reinforce the 2nd LCS patrolling the central part of the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
later that day. Two German light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s managed to slip through the gaps in the British patrols and destroyed the Scandinavia convoy during the morning of 17 October, but no word was received of the engagement until that afternoon. The 1st CS was ordered to attempt to intercept the German ships, but they proved to be faster than hoped and the British ships were unsuccessful.
She returned to the dockyard in 1917 to have the aft turret removed and replaced by another 300-foot (91 m) deck for landing and a second hangar, giving her both a launching and a recovery deck. Two lifts serving the hangars were also installed. Furious was recommissioned on 15 March 1918 and her embarked aircraft were used on anti-Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
patrols in the North Sea after May. In July 1918 she flew off seven Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
s which participated in the Tondern raid
Tondern raid
The Tondern raid, officially designated Operation F.7, was a British bombing raid mounted by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force against the Imperial German Navy's airship base at Tondern in Germany. It was the first attack in history made by aircraft flying from a carrier flight deck. On 19 July...
, attacking the Zeppelin sheds at Tondern with moderate success.
Conversion
Furious had been fitted with a flying-off and landing deck during the First World War, but the latter proved largely unusable because of the strong air currents around the superstructure and exhaust gases from the funnelFunnel
A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur....
. She was laid up after the war, but was converted to an aircraft carrier between June 1921 and September 1925. Her design was based on experience gained with the first two British carriers, and , although this was very limited as Argus was less than three years old and Eagle had only carried out 143 deck landings during her preliminary sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s in 1920.
The ship's superstructure, masts, funnel and landing deck were removed and she was given a 576 by flight deck that extended over three-quarters of her length. This flight deck was not level; it sloped upwards about ¾ of the way from the stern to help slow down landing aircraft, which had no brakes at the time it was designed. The fore-and-aft arresting gear
Arresting gear
Arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is the name used for mechanical systems designed to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBAR aircraft carriers. Similar systems...
(320 feet (97.5 m) long on Furious) of the time was not intended to stop landing aircraft—the landing speeds of the time were low enough that this was unnecessary given a good headwind—but rather to prevent aircraft from veering off to one side and potentially falling off the flight deck. Various designs for the flight deck were tested in a wind tunnel by the National Physical Laboratory which showed that the distinctive elliptical shape and rounded edges used minimised turbulence. A two-level hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
was built under the flight deck
Flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the...
, each level being 15 feet (4.6 m) high. The lower hangar was 550 feet (167.6 m) long by 35–50 ft (10.7–15.2 ) wide and the upper was 520 by. Each hangar could be sectioned off by electrically operated steel shutters on rollers. Her boilers were ducted down the side of the ship to exhaust either out of gratings at the rear of the flight deck, or, when landing operations were in progress, out of the side of the lower hangar at the rear of the ship. This solution proved to be very unsatisfactory as it consumed valuable space, made parts of the lower hangar untenable and interfered with landing operations to a greater or lesser degree. Her original flying-off deck remained in place for use by small aircraft like fighters
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
which allowed the ship to simultaneously land aircraft on the main flight deck while fighters were taking off on the lower deck or to speedily fly off her aircraft from both decks. Doors at the forward end of the upper hangar opened onto the lower flying deck. Like Argus, Furious was flush-decked
Flush deck
In naval architecture, a flush deck refers to when the upper deck of a vessel extends unbroken from stem to stern. There is no raised forecastle or lowered quarterdeck. Ships of this type may be referred to as "flush deckers", although this is often taken as referring to a series of United States...
and lacked an island superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
to minimise any turbulence over the flight deck; instead she was provided with a retractable charthouse at the forward end of the flight deck. Two semi-cruciform 47 by 46 ft (14.3 by 14 m) lifts (elevators) were installed to transfer aircraft between the flight deck and hangars. No arresting gear was fitted and two 600 imp gal (2,727.7 l; 720.6 US gal) ready-use petrol tanks were provided for aircraft and the ship's boats on the upper deck. An additional 20000 imp gal (90,921.8 l; 24,019 US gal) of petrol were in bulk storage.
Furious was not lengthened, but her beam was increased 1 foot (0.3048 m) to 89 foot and her average draught was now 27 in 3 in (8.31 m) at deep load, 2 foot (0.6096 m) deeper than before the conversion. She displaced 22500 long tons (22,861.1 t) at normal load and 26500 LT (26,925.3 t) at deep load, over 3000 long tons more than her previous displacement. Her metacentric height was 3.6 feet (1.1 m) at deep load, a reduction of 1.48 foot (0.451104 m) after her conversion. During the ship's post-conversion sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s she reached 30.03 knots (16.3 m/s). Her fuel capacity was increased by 700 long tons (711.2 t) during her reconstruction, which increased her range to 5300 nautical miles (9,815.6 km) at a speed of 16 knots.
Armament
Furious retained ten of her original eleven breech-loading 5.5 inches (14 cm) guns, five on each side, for self-defence from enemy warships. Six QF 4-inch Mark VQF 4 inch Mk V naval gun
The QF 4 inch Mk V gun was a Royal Navy gun of World War I which was adapted on HA mountings to the heavy anti-aircraft role both at sea and on land, and was also used as a coast defence gun.-Naval service:...
guns replaced her original anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
guns. Four were mounted on the sides of the flying-off deck and two on the quarterdeck
Quarterdeck
The quarterdeck is that part of a warship designated by the commanding officer for official and ceremonial functions. In port, the quarterdeck is the most important place on the ship, and is the central control point for all its major activities. Underway, its importance diminishes as control of...
. The four guns on the flying-off deck were removed in 1926–27 for trials of the lower flight deck, but only two were replaced when the trials were concluded. Four single QF 2-pounder pom-poms
QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
were installed in 1927. During Furiouss September 1930–February 1932 refit her anti-aircraft outfit was changed by the addition of two eight-barrel QF 2-pounder Mark V pom-pom mounts where the forward 4-inch guns on the flying-off deck had been removed earlier.
The 5.5-inch and 4-inch guns were replaced during her refit in early 1939 by a dozen QF 4-inch Mk XVI guns
QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun
The QF 4 inch Mk XVI gun was the standard British Commonwealth naval anti-aircraft and dual-purpose gun of World War II.-Service:The Mk XVI superseded the earlier QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun on many Royal Naval ships during the late 1930s and early 1940s...
in twin dual-purpose
Dual-purpose
Dual-purpose is a noun and an adjective referring to things serving two purposes. It can specifically refer to:* dual-purpose gun, naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets* dual-purpose improved conventional munition...
Mark XIX mounts. One mount each was on the former flying-off deck and the quarterdeck while the other four were mounted two per side. Two more Mark V 2-pounder mounts were added fore and aft of the newly added island superstructure at the same time. While refitting in the United States, the ship was fitted with a maximum of 22 manually operated automatic 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) Oerlikon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
light anti-aircraft guns, which replaced the single quadruple Vickers .50 machine gun mount
Vickers .50 machine gun
The Vickers .50 machine gun, also known as the 'Vickers .50' was basically the same as the Vickers machine gun but scaled up to use a larger calibre round.-Mark II, IV and V:...
.
A single High Angle Control System director was fitted on the island and another on an elevation mount on the former flying-off deck. Two "pom-pom" directors were also mounted on the island for the weapons mounted fore and aft of the island.
Air groups
Furious could normally only carry about 36 aircraft. In the 1920s this was commonly divided up between one flight of fighters (Fairey FlycatcherFairey Flycatcher
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.* Taylor, H A. Fairey Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-00065-X....
), two of spotters (Blackburn Blackburn
Blackburn Blackburn
|-See also:...
or Avro Bison
Avro Bison
-See also:...
), one spotter reconnaissance (Fairey III
Fairey III
The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants...
D) and two flights of torpedo bombers (Blackburn Dart
Blackburn Dart
-See also:-Bibliography:* Jackson, A.J. Blackburn Aircraft since 1909. London:Putnam, 1968. ISBN 0-370-00053-6.* Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5....
). From 1933 to the end of 1938 Furious carried 801 Squadron
801 Naval Air Squadron
801 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm squadron of the Royal Navy formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War.- Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force:...
which initially flew a mixture of six Hawker Nimrod
Hawker Nimrod
The Hawker Nimrod was a British carrier-based single engine, single seat biplane fighter aircraft built in the early 1930s by Hawker Aircraft.-Design and development:...
and three Flycatcher fighters. Hawker Osprey fighters replaced the Flycatchers in early 1934 and the Nimrods were withdrawn in October 1936. 811 and 822 Squadrons were embarked for reconnaissance and anti-shipping missions. They flew the Blackburn Ripon
Blackburn Ripon
-See also:-External links:* in Flight...
, the Blackburn Baffin
Blackburn Baffin
-See also:-External links:* * http://avia.russian.ee/air/england/black_baffin.php...
and the Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s and as well as the Fairey IIIF, the Fairey Seal
Fairey Seal
|-Operators:*Argentine Navy* Latvian Navy* Peruvian Air Force* Peruvian Navy* Royal Air Force* Fleet Air Arm-See also:-References:*Sturtivant, R...
and the Blackburn Shark
Blackburn Shark
-Bibliography:* Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.* Shores, Christopher, Brian Cull and Yasuho Izawa. Bloody Shambles:Volume One:The Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore. London:Grub Street, 1992. ISBN 0-948817-50-X.*...
reconnaissance aircraft. As a deck landing training carrier in 1939 Furious embarked 767 Squadron, flying Shark, Swordfish and Fairey Albacore
Fairey Albacore
The Fairey Albacore was a British single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and used during the Second World War. It had a three-man crew and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance as well as delivering...
torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, and 769 Squadron, flying Blackburn Skua
Blackburn Skua
The Blackburn B-24 Skua was a carrier-based low-wing, two-seater, single-radial engine aircraft operated by the British Fleet Air Arm which combined the functions of a dive bomber and fighter. It was designed in the mid-1930s, and saw service in the early part of the Second World War...
, Blackburn Roc
Blackburn Roc
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brew, Alec. The Turret Fighters: Defiant and Roc. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press, 2002. ISBN 1-86126-497-6....
, and Gloster Sea Gladiator fighters.
Pre-war service
Furious was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet after commissioning in 1925 although she spent much of the next several years conducting trials for practically every aircraft in the Fleet Air ArmFleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
(FAA) inventory. These included landing and flying-off tests of Fairey IIID and Fairey Flycatcher floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s, with and without wheels, to compare various designs of wooden and metal floats. The lower flight deck was greased to allow them to take off with a minimum of difficulty. A Flycatcher fitted with wooden skids was also tested and behaved perfectly satisfactorily. The arresting gear was barely used during these trials and it was removed shortly afterwards. Deck-edge palisades were installed in 1927 to keep aircraft from blowing over the side in rough weather. The first carrier night-landing was made by a Blackburn Dart on 6 May 1926 aboard Furious.
Furious was reduced to reserve on 1 July 1930 in preparation for a lengthy overhaul at Devonport
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
. It lasted from September 1930 to February 1932 and was focused on refitting her machinery and re-tubing her boilers. In addition her quarterdeck was raised by one deck, the AA armament was revised and spraying facilities were fitted in the hangars. Upon completion she ran a full-power trial on 16 February 1932 where her maximum speed was 28.8 knots (15.7 m/s) from a total of 89745 shp.
Furious recommissioned in May 1932 as part of the Home Fleet with a reduced crew before being brought up to full complement in November. Transverse arresting gear was fitted sometime during the mid-1930s. She was detached to the Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
from May to October 1934. Furious
Furious
Furious is the debut album of Soopa Villainz released in 2005. The album peaked at #9 on the Billboard "Top Independent Albums" chart, #42 on the "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums" chart and #92 on the Billboard 200.-Track listing:...
was present at the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...
on 20 May 1937 for George VI. She became a deck-landing training carrier in 1937, although she was refitted in Devonport between December 1937 and May 1938 where the forward end of her lower flight deck was raised to make her less wet forward. During the Munich Crisis in September 1938 she embarked 801, 821
821 Naval Air Squadron
821 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 with the transferral and amalgamation of the Fairey III aircraft from 446 and half of 455 Flight Flights Royal Air Force to the newly formed Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force...
and 822 Squadrons and joined the fleet at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, before resuming her training duties after the peaceful conclusion of the affair. She was struck a glancing blow by the destroyer during this time, but suffered only minor damage.
The ship was given a more extensive refit from January to May 1939 that removed her 5.5-inch guns and palisades, mounted anti-aircraft guns on her lower flying-off deck, plated in the doors at the forward end of the upper hangar, and gave her a small island on the starboard side. Furious resumed her training duties after the completion of the refit and continued them until October 1939.
Second World War
Furious remained on training duties, combined with anti-submarine sweeps off the east coast of ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
until 2 October 1939. She was then assigned to the Home Fleet to replace the sunken Courageous and embarked nine Swordfish aircraft from 816 Squadron and a detachment of three more Swordfish from 818 Squadron
818 Naval Air Squadron
818 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed in August 1939. It served on a number of the Navy's aircraft carriers during the Second World War, serving in most of the theatres of the war, before decommissioning at the end of the war.-Norway and the...
. The ship sortied on 8 October with the fleet to unsuccessfully hunt for the and escorting ships which had been spotted off southern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. After returning from this search, Furious departed her berth adjacent to the battleship in Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
for more futile searches for German ships on 13 October, the day before Royal Oak was sunk by . Afterwards she was transferred to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, where she and the battlecruiser formed a hunting group for German raiders. Furious served as the flagship for the convoy bringing most of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division
1st Canadian Infantry Division
The 1st Canadian Infantry Division was a formation mobilized on 1 September 1939 for service in the Second World War. The division was also reactivated twice during the Cold War....
to Britain in mid-December 1939. In the darkness on 17 December the west-bound ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
SS Samaria passed through the convoy unseen. She ripped off the horizontal wireless masts on Furiouss starboard side, carried away five overhanging lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
s from the port side of and just missed the third and fourth ships in line.
Norwegian Campaign
Furious joined the Home Fleet off the coast of Norway on 10 April 1940 with only the 18 Swordfish of 816 and 818 Squadron818 Naval Air Squadron
818 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed in August 1939. It served on a number of the Navy's aircraft carriers during the Second World War, serving in most of the theatres of the war, before decommissioning at the end of the war.-Norway and the...
aboard. Sixteen Swordfish made unsuccessful torpedo attacks on German ships in Trondheim harbour the following morning. On 12 April both squadrons attempted to attack German ships in Narvik in bad weather. Disappointed with the failure of the torpedo attacks the previous day bombs are carried instead. 818 Squadron, making the first attack, damaged several captured Norwegian ships, but lost two aircraft to flak, although the crews were rescued by the British cruiser and the destroyer . 816 Squadron following 40 minutes behind was forced to turn back by heavy weather. One aircraft was lost while landing, but the crew was recovered. Another attack was launched the next day in support of the British ships entering Narvik, but they contributed little and another pair of Swordfish were shot down.
Furious, ordered to remain behind after the bulk of the Home Fleet departed on 15 April, departed the Narvik area on 14 April, escorted by three destroyers, to refuel at Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
. En route her Swordfish attacked Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
transports that had landed on frozen Lake Hartvikvatnet
Hartvikvatnet
Hartvikvatnet is a Norwegian lake that lies in Narvik municipality in Nordland....
approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north east of Narvik. Two of the Ju 52s were destroyed and several others damaged. She reached the port on 16 April with only 27% of her fuel remaining. She stayed there until 18 April when she headed south to scout the Narvik area. She was attacked en route by a single Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
of II./KG 26
Kampfgeschwader 26
Kampfgeschwader 26 "Löwengeschwader" was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II .Its units participated on all of the fronts in the European Theatre until it was disbanded in September–October 1944. It operated two of the major German bomber types; the Heinkel He 111 and the Junkers Ju 88...
from very high altitude. Two large bombs narrowly missed the ship, the closest only 11 yards (10.1 m) off the port side aft. The shock shook her propeller shafts out of alignment and jarred the port inner high-pressure turbine so that she was limited to only 20 knots (10.9 m/s). Furious remained off the coast of Norway despite the damage and attempted to fly off aircraft on 22 April, despite severe weather, to discourage German aircraft from delivering supplies to the German forces in Narvik. One aircraft was shot down by the Germans and the others returned reporting heavy snowstorms between the ship and Narvik. The weather worsened the next day and Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
Troubridge
Thomas Hope Troubridge
Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Hope Troubridge KCB DSO & Bar was a Royal navy officer who went on to become Fifth Sea Lord.-Naval career:...
decided to head to Harstad
Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
to check the damage from the near miss. It proved worse than anticipated and he was ordered back to the United Kingdom Only six of the nine remaining Swordfish were serviceable.
After quick repairs, which included the removal of several rows of turbine blades, Furious returned to Norway on 18 May carrying the Gladiators
Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it...
of a reformed Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
263 Squadron
No. 263 Squadron RAF
No 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of World War I. After being disbanded in 1919 it reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron in 1958.-First World War:...
; they were flown off on 21 April once their base at Bardufoss
Bardufoss
Bardufoss is a small village in the municipality of Målselv in Troms county, Norway. The population was 2,580. Bardufoss is located in the Målselvdalen valley near the confluence of the Barduelva and Målselva rivers. It is located about north of the city of Narvik and about south of the city...
was ready. One Gladiator and the guiding Swordfish crashed en route, all the crewmen being killed. She returned to Scapa Flow once all the Gladiators had been flown off. The ship only carried six Sea Gladiators of 804 Squadron
804 Naval Air Squadron
804 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy, formed in November 1939 from part of 769 NAS Sea Gladiators which had been detached to RNAS Hatston. The squadron was merged into 800 NAS in June 1944 and subsequently reformed in September.-World War II:During World War II, she...
and nine Swordfish of 816 Squadron for self-protection while ferrying 263 Squadron.
On 14 June, carrying only half of 816 Squadron for her own protection, Furious sailed unescorted for Halifax carrying £18,000,000 in gold bullion. On 1 July she escorted a convoy of Canadian troops bound for Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
from Halifax and ferried over almost 50 aircraft, spare parts and munitions. On his own initiative, Captain Troubridge ordered all available space should be used for sugar for rationed Britain. She embarked the rest of 816 Squadron, as well as nine Skuas of 801 Squadron and nine Swordfish of 825
825 Naval Air Squadron
825 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier-based squadron formed on 8 October 1934 from the aircraft and personnel of 824 Naval Air Squadron...
, upon her arrival and made a number of air strikes on shipping in Norwegian waters and on the seaplane base at Tromsø in September and October 1940. "No noteworthy results were obtained and several aircraft were lost." Both Swordfish squadrons were landed afterwards to make room as she prepared to resume her role as an aircraft transport.
Ferry duties
Furious loaded 55 aircraft, mostly crated Hawker Hurricanes fighters of No. 73 Squadron RAFNo. 73 Squadron RAF
-World War I:It was initially a unit of the Royal Flying Corps and was formed out of the Central Flying School, based at Upavon, Wiltshire. Eight days after, the new unit moved to Lilbourne, near Rugby....
, in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
on 7 November and sailed for Takoradi, Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
on 15 November where they were flown off or off-loaded on the 27 November with the ultimate destination of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. During this time she retained only six Skuas
Blackburn Skua
The Blackburn B-24 Skua was a carrier-based low-wing, two-seater, single-radial engine aircraft operated by the British Fleet Air Arm which combined the functions of a dive bomber and fighter. It was designed in the mid-1930s, and saw service in the early part of the Second World War...
of 801 Squadron for her own protection. Furious was back in Liverpool by 15 December where she embarked 40 more Hurricanes for Takoradi. She sailed on the 21 December and joined up with Convoy WS5A and the small carrier . The encountered the convoy on 25 December, but little damage was inflicted by Hipper before she was driven off by the escorts. No air strike could be flown against the German cruiser because the Swordfish were embarked in Argus with bombs that they could not carry and the torpedoes were aboard Furious. After Furiouss Skuas had flown off to search for Hipper, space was made to land the Swordfish to load the torpedoes, but the Skuas could not locate Hipper because of the poor visibility. Furious reached Takoradi on 10 January 1941 and arrived back in Britain on 5 February where she was given a brief refit. She made another ferry trip to Takoradi on 4 March, carrying 12 Fairey Fulmar
Fairey Fulmar
The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne fighter aircraft that served with the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. A total of 600 were built by Fairey Aviation at its Stockport factory between January 1940 and December 1942...
s of 807 Squadron
807 Naval Air Squadron
807 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy.-Second World War:807 Squadron was formed at Worthy Down in September 1940, equipped with Fairey Fulmar Is. Three were embarked on HMS Pegasus, where they remained until February 1941, when the entire squadron embarked on for...
and six Swordfish of 825 Squadron for self-defence.
Furious now had a new destination for her ferry trips and she transported 24 Hurricanes to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on 25 April where they were transferred to to be flown off for Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. She sailed for a brief refit at Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
immediately afterwards. While in Belfast she was hit by one small bomb and near-missed by two others by a German air raid in early May, but only lightly damaged. The ship loaded another batch of 40 Hurricane IIs, plus nine Fulmars from 'X' Flight of 800 Squadron in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and arrived back in Gibraltar on 18 May. Some of these fighters were moved to Ark Royal via planks between the flight decks of the carriers berthed stern to stern. This time she accompanied Ark Royal and the two carriers flew off their fighters from a position south of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. Furious loaded 48 more Hurricane IIs and arrived back in Gibraltar on 1 June where some of the fighters were transferred to Ark Royal. The two carriers departed Gibraltar on 4 June and flew off 44 of the 48 fighters. Furious returned to the Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
for her biggest load of aircraft yet, 64 Hurricanes which meant that she only had room for nine Swordfish from 816 Squadron on this voyage. Upon her arrival on 25 June she transferred 22 Hurricanes to Ark Royal and that carrier flew them off to Malta the next day. 42 Hurricanes had been left on Furious and 26 of these were moved to Ark Royal when she returned on 28 June. This time, however, both carriers sailed to deliver the fighters to their usual take-off point west of Sicily. Nine of Furiouss aircraft had taken off when the tenth aircraft crashed into Furiouss island while taking off. The crash killed 14 men and started a serious fire on the flight deck. The blocked flight deck forced the remaining six Hurricanes to remain on board and they were returned to Gibraltar. Furious exchanged 816 Squadron for 818 from Ark Royal before she departed.
In July Furious embarked nine Fulmars of 800 Squadron, 'A' Flight of 880 Squadron with four Sea Hurricane IAs, nine Swordfish from 812 Squadron
812 Naval Air Squadron
812 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, which was active between 1933 and 1956, and saw service in World War II and the Korean War.-First formation:...
and nine Albacores of 817 Squadron
817 Naval Air Squadron
817 Naval Air Squadron was a unit of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War.In 1941, the squadron operated Fairey Albacore aircraft in the Anti-Submarine Warfare role in Icelandic and Mediterranean waters...
to attack the German-occupied ports of Kirkenes, Norway and Petsamo, Finland
Raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo
The raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo took place on 30 July 1941 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy air arm launched this unsuccessful raid from the aircraft carriers and to inflict damage on merchant vessels owned by Germany and Finland and to show support for their new ally, the Soviet...
in cooperation with the carrier . The two carriers and their escorts gathered in Seidisfjord
Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður is a town and municipality in the Eastfjords of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name.As of January 2011, the town has 668 inhabitants....
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
under the command of Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Wake-Walker
Frederic Wake-Walker
Admiral Sir Frederic Wake-Walker CB CBE was a British admiral who served in the Royal Navy during World War I and World War II, taking a leading part in the destruction of the German battleship Bismarck, and in Operation Dynamo, the evacuation at Dunkirk.-Early days:Born William Frederic...
where they re-fueled in late July. Furious attacked ships in Petsamo on 30 July with all of her Swordfish and Albacores, escorted by six Fulmars and all four Sea Hurricanes, but there was very little shipping present. One small ship, MV Trotter, was sunk, several oil storage tanks set afire and several wooden jetties were torpedoed. The British ships had been spotted before the attack and two Fulmars and an Albacore were shot down by the alerted defences. Furious was short of fuel and had to leave shortly afterwards, but she transferred her Albacores to Victorious to fill up that carrier's decimated squadrons before she left. Sea Hurricanes of 880 Squadron shot down a shadowing Dornier Do 18
Dornier Do 18
The Dornier Do 18 was a development of the Do 16 flying boat. It was developed for the Luftwaffe, but Lufthansa got 5 aircraft and used these for tests between the Azores and the North American continent in 1936 and on their mail route over the South Atlantic from 1937 to 1939.27–29 March 1938 a...
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
on 31 July as the ship was leaving.
On 30 August Furious left Belfast with a load of 49 Hurricanes, carrying three Fulmars of 800 Squadron and four Sea Hurricane IBs of 880A Squadron for self-defence, and nine Swordfish of 812 Squadron for Ark Royal. She arrived in Gibraltar on 6 September and transferred 40 Hurricanes to the other carrier the next day. Ark Royal sailed for the departure point the following day, but could only fly off 14 Hurricanes because the other Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
s used to guide the fighters to Malta failed to make their rendezvous. When Ark Royal returned she transferred the six Swordfish of 810 Squadron to Furious and both carriers departed that same day to deliver the Hurricanes. This was Furiouss last ferry mission she was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
for a lengthy refit. She arrived on 7 October and did not return to the United Kingdom until April 1942.
Furious spent the next three months after her return working up. In August she was detailed to accompany the convoy bound for Malta in Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
, but she was only to sail far enough with them to allow her 38 Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s to reach Malta. This she did, just as Eagle was torpedoed, but Furious turned around after flying off her fighters and reached Gibraltar successfully. She loaded another batch of 32 Spitfires on 16 August and they were flown off the following day south-east of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
. After this mission Furious was sent back to Home Fleet for training. One last mission was necessary to reinforce the defences of Malta before Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
and the ship arrived at Gibraltar on 27 October. She loaded 32 Spitfires and launched them on the 29 August before returning to Gibraltar upon which the ship was assigned to Force H
Force H
Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in 1940 to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean that had been removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany....
.
Furious embarked twelve Supermarine Seafire
Supermarine Seafire
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
IBs of 801 Squadron, another twelve Seafire IICs of 807 Squadron and nine Albacores of 822 Squadron to provide air cover for the amphibious landings by the Central Task Force. On the morning of 8 November Furiouss Seafires strafed
Strafing
Strafing is the practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. This means, that although ground attack using automatic weapons fire is very often accompanied with bombing or rocket fire, the term "strafing" does not specifically include the...
the Vichy French airfield at Tafraoui
Tafraoui
Tafraoui is a municipality in Oran Province, Algeria close to the city of Oran. There is an airport with the same name. Capturing Tafaraoui Airport was a part of Operation Torch in the WWII....
and destroyed three aircraft on the ground and shot down one Dewoitine D.520
Dewoitine D.520
The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the opening of World War II. Unlike the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, which was at that time the Armée de l'Airs most numerous fighter, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest...
fighter, the first air-to-air kill by a Seafire. Eight Albacores from 822 Squadron, escorted by Sea Hurricanes from two escort carriers, attacked the field at La Senia
Es Sénia
Es Sénia is a municipality in Oran Province, Algeria. It is the seat of Es Sénia District. It contains a university as well as the international airport of Oran Es Sénia....
. They were attacked by D.520s as they began their attack dive, but they destroyed 47 aircraft despite losing three Albacores shot down and a further two damaged by the French fighters and another shot down by anti-aircraft fire.
Home Waters
Furious remained with Force H until February 1943 before transferring to Home Fleet where she remained for the rest of the war. In July the fleet demonstrated off the coast of Norway in strength to distract attention from the Allied invasion of SicilyAllied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
; Furiouss role was to allow a German reconnaissance aircraft to spot the British ships and make a report then shoot it down. She was refitted in August and spent the rest of the year training. During the passage of Convoy JW-57 from the U.K. to Russia in February 1944, Furious, escorted by the British battleship and the , attacked German shipping off the Norwegian coast on 24 February. The carrier had aboard the Seafire IBs of 801 Squadron, plus the Fairey Barracuda
Fairey Barracuda
The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes...
torpedo bombers of 827 Squadron
827 Naval Air Squadron
827 Naval Air Squadron was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during World War II. It operated Fairey Barracudas starting in May 1943, becoming the first squadron to receive Barracudas in any substantial number....
and 830 Squadrons
830 Naval Air Squadron
830 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron formed in Malta in July 1940 flying Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. During 1940–41 the squadron carried out attacks against the Axis supply effort in the Mediterranean...
. No aircraft were lost and a beached freighter was destroyed.
In preparation for Operation Tungsten
Operation Tungsten
Operation Tungsten was a British naval operation during World War II. it was one of a number of aerial attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz while she was in Norwegian waters...
, an attack on the , Furious and exchanged Barracuda squadrons, 827 for 831 Squadron, so that the squadrons that trained together could fly together. Furious also embarked 880 Squadron with eight Seafire L.IIC fighters to reinforce the six Seafire IBs of 801 Squadron. On the morning of 3 April 21 Barracudas of 827 and 830 Squadrons made the first attack just as the Tirpitz was getting under way for sea trials. The Germans were caught entirely by surprise and the Tirpitzs smokescreen was only just beginning to form. The British aircraft enjoyed a clear view of their target and hit the German battleship six times. An hour later the second wave of 19 Barracudas from 829 and 831 Squadrons arrived and scored eight more hits. Only one Barracuda was shot down from each wave and another crashed on take-off. 801 and 880 Squadrons were retained for fleet air defence during the operation. Tirpitzs superstructure and upper hull was moderately damaged by the bombs, but her machinery was intact because the Barracuda pilots pressed home their attack below the 3000 feet (914.4 m) altitude necessary to give their 1600 pounds (725.7 kg) armour-piercing
Armor-piercing shot and shell
An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...
bombs enough velocity to penetrate Tirpitzs main armoured deck. Nonetheless Tirpitz was under repair for three months.
The Home Fleet tried another attack on Tirpitz later on 23 April, but bad weather on 24 and 25 April prevented any attack from being made. Instead the aircraft attempted to attack installations at Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
on 26 April, but found a German convoy instead and sank three ships. Furious and the escort carrier attacked shipping in the vicinity of Kristiansund
Kristiansund
Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...
and sank the ore carrier
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
Almora and the tanker
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
Saarburg for the loss of two aircraft on 6 May. Another attack on Tirpitz by the Home Fleet had to be abandoned on 15 May because of poor weather. Another attempt on 28 May was foiled by bad weather, but a German convoy was successfully attacked on 1 June. One ammunition ship was sunk and two others were set on fire.
Furious and the fleet carriers and make another attempt to sink the Tirpitz on 17 July (Operation Mascot). For this attack the carrier embarked 880 Squadron with three Seafire L.IICs, 20 Grumman Hellcats of 1840 Squadron and three Swordfish of 842 Flight. The attack was unsuccessful against the fully alerted German defences as the smokescreen covered the German battleship so that the Barracudas had to drop their bombs blindly through the smoke. Four more attacks on Tirpitz were made in August under the name of Operation Goodwood in a concerted effort to sink her. Furious carried twelve Seafire F.IIIs of 801 Squadron, another twelve Seafire L.IICs of 880 Squadron and nine Barracudas of 827 Squadron for this operation. The first attack on 20 August was recalled because of bad weather, but the attack on 22 August was spotted by the Germans and eleven aircraft were lost. Another attack was made two days later; one armour-piercing bomb penetrated Tirpitzs armoured deck, but failed to detonate and another 500 pounds (226.8 kg) bomb did only superficial damage. A fourth attack was made on 29 August, but inflicted no damage.
By this time the ship's age and limitations became increasingly apparent and she was placed in reserve on 15 September 1944. The ship was paid off in April 1945 and used to evaluate the effects of aircraft explosives on the ship's structure. Furious was sold in 1948 for scrap
Scrap
Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value...
, and had been completely broken up at Troon
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
by 1954.