The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: Hermes, British Light
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The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia | |
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| Tonnage | 10,850 tons standard |
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| Dimensions | 600'1" by 72' by 30'6"182.91m by 21.95m by 9.30m |
| Maximum speed | 26.2 knots |
| Complement | 664 |
| Aircraft | 580' (176.8m) flight deck2 elevators1 catapult12 aircraft |
| Armament | 6 5.5"/50 guns4 4"/45 AA guns1x4 40mm/40 AA guns5 20mm Oerlikon AA guns2x4 0.50 machine guns |
| Protection | 3" (76mm) belt1" (25mm) deck over magazines and machinery |
| Machinery | 2-shaft Parsons geared turbine (40,000 shp)6 Yarrow small-tube boilers |
| Bunkerage | 2000 tons fuel oil80,000 gallons (303,000 liters) aviation gasoline |
| Range | 2930 nautical miles (5430 km) at 18 knots |
The Hermes was the first aircraft carrier ever built as such, in 1923. She was designed to perform the same mission aslight cruisers, namely, scouting for the battle fleet. Hence her armorprotection, machinery, and other design characteristics were similar to those of a light cruiser.
Ugly and slow, she was relegated to secondary roles by the beginning of the war. She was undergoing repair at Durban when the war broke out, and was sunk on 9 April 1942 south of Ceylon by Japanese carrieraircraft.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2010 by Kent G. Budge. Index
