BRITISH NAVAL FORCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 5, 7 January 1939, Page 11

BRITISH NAVAL FORCE

PROTECTION OF EMPIRE

OVER 500 PLANES

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, January 5

The Ark Royal, the great new aircraft carrier which is to join the Home Fleet for the spring cruise this year, is the first of five ships designed exclusively for the naval air service. Its immediate successors," the Illustrious, the Victorious, the Formidable, and the Indomitable, will each be of 23,000 tons, compared with the Ark Royal's 22,000. Contracts for the sixth aircraft carrier on the programme have not yet been placed.

The new ships possess great mobility and will provide a means of protection at short notice for the furthest and most isolated territories within the Empire.

Their presence in Britain's fleet air arm means that during a night's watches a force of 300 aggressive warplanes and 8000 highly-trained/fight-ing men could be moved over a distance of 350 miles.

Together with the complement of the existing carriers, the Glorious, the Furious, tiie Courageous, the Hermes, and the. Eagle, and the seaplane carrier Albatross, a total carrier-borne British air armada of more than 500 aeroplanes will be available for defence at sea.. In addition, the navy's battleships, battle cruisers, and cruisers each carry seaplanes' which are launched by catapult.