HMS Warrior (R31)

History of HMS Warrior (R31)

With World War II in full swing and British involvement increasing, a new Colossus-class light aircraft carrier was ordered. The commissioned architectural firm was renamed Harland and Wolff and was established on December 12, 1942. The ship was originally named HMS Brave and flew the Royal Navy flag, mainly to support Allied operations and operations around the Indian Ocean. The ship was launched on May 20, 1944, and officially commissioned on April 2, 1945, under the designation HMS Warrior (R31).

Interestingly, the ship (for the tropical climate of the Indian Ocean region) was built without some of the heating facilities common to other warships of the time.

The HMS Warrior appeared in 1944 as the seventh in a group of 10 Colossus-class light carriers led by HMS Colossus himself. A large portion of the group ended up serving in foreign navies, including Argentina. Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands.

The ship displaces 18,300 tons, has a bow-to-stern length of 695 feet, a beam of 80 feet, and a draft of 23 feet. Her crew can accommodate up to 1,300 people. Defense was provided by 6 x QF 2-pounder anti-aircraft guns on four-barrel mounts. This is complemented by 32 x 20mm anti-aircraft guns.

Her general profile includes island superstructure offset to starboard and midship forward. This allows for unrestricted flight deck space from bow to stern. Hangar lifts allow aircraft to enter and exit the flight deck. A smoke funnel was found behind the bridge along the island structure. Their decks could support up to 48 aircraft of various types, including propeller-driven models and early jet-driven forms (the latter to a certain extent).

Propulsion for the HMS Warrior comes from four boilers linked to two steam turbines driving two 40,000 hp shafts. This enables the vessel to sail at 25 knots and reach a range of 12,000 nautical miles.

The end of the war in September 1945 was followed by the massive dismantling of military equipment. The Royal Navy saw no need for the tropical-climate light carrier and handed the ship over to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). During her service, her name was slightly changed to HMCS Warrior to denote the new owner, although her form and function remained largely the same. The ship arrived in Canadian waters in late March 1946. As expected, the lack of winter gear (mainly heaters on some components) proved to be a problem in northern Canada.

The Canadian and British governments subsequently reached an agreement that the HMCS Warrior would be replaced by the Majestic-class aircraft carrier HMCS Magnificent (CVL-21). The Magnificent entered service in March 1948 and served in the Canadian Navy until 1956.

After the ship was recaptured, she was recommissioned as HMS Warrior (R31) by the Royal Navy on 23 March 1948. During the Korean War (1950-1953), the warship was ready in time for a United Nations contingent, where the loading space proved to be convenient for transporting troops to theater and launching fighter jets in support.

She served in this manner until 1952, when she returned to Devonport Dockyard for an overhaul. In 1954, during another overhaul, the carrier received a sloping deck for testing.

Since then, the Warrior has been an active participant in the UK's hydrogen bomb tests, which included Operation Grab, which exploded multiple times in the Central Pacific from 1956 to 1958. At this point, the ship found its inventory on another carrier of little value, was decommissioned in February 1958, and began looking for a buyer.

The British government has discovered one in the South American country of Argentina - no doubt to expand its naval presence in the region. Interestingly, the HMS Warrior made a stopover in Argentina during its return to the UK, allowing the Argentine leadership to get up close and personal with the ship before purchasing it.

During service with the Argentine Navy, HMS Warrior was renamed ARA Independencia (V-1) and became Argentina's first aircraft carrier. She was commissioned on July 8, 1959, as the Navy's flagship, commanding Vought F4U Corsairs, North American T-6 Texans and Grumman S2 Trackers - all propeller-driven aircraft - launched from her deck. The original 32 x 20mm anti-aircraft guns were reduced to 12 40mm guns, after which only 8 40mm guns remained.

Only in May 1962 the defense was slightly improved by adding 1 quadruple 40mm and 9 twin 40mm mounts.

Over time, the ship eventually supported Argentina's first jets - these were the American Grumman F9F Panther models, followed by the Grumman F9F Cougar models. ARA Inependencia was decommissioned in 1970 with the commissioning of the aircraft carrier ARA Venticinco de Mayo (V-2) (ex-British HMS Venerable / ex-Dutch HNLMS Karel Doorman) in 1969. The following year, her hull was sold as scrap.

Officially ended the tenure of HMS Warrior.

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