Description
H.M.S. Ark Royal was one of the most famous and innovative aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Commissioned in 1938, she was the first British carrier designed from the outset with an integrated flight deck and hangar, setting the standard for future carrier design.
By 1941, Ark Royal was at the height of her operational career, playing a crucial role in the Atlantic, North Sea and in particular, the Mediterranean theatre as a key component of Force H. She took part in convoy protection, strike missions, as well as transportation of aircraft to Malta and was instrumental in May of that year, in the destruction of the German battleship Bismarck, launching Swordfish torpedo aircraft that crippled the enemy ship’s steering and sealed her fate. It was sailing back to Gibraltar that November that despite previous claims by the German authorities that she had been sunk, her luck ran out when she was sunk by U-81. Despite efforts to tow her back to Gibraltar, she eventually slipped below the waves the following day, but with only one casualty.
In her 1941 configuration, Ark Royal carried a varied air group including Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers and fighters such as the Fulmar, supported by enhanced anti-aircraft defences.
This model captures H.M.S. Ark Royal as she appeared in 1941, making it an outstanding subject for naval modellers interested in early-war aircraft carrier operations, Royal Navy history, and one of Britain’s most celebrated warships.
