THE FLEET AIR ARM

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4329, 31 August 1937, Page 7

THE FLEET AIR ARM

A POST-WAR DEVELOPMENT PRECISION IN SHOW ATTACK During the war comparatively little use was made of aircraft for work with the Fleet in the North Sea, says “ Taffrail,” in the London ‘ Observer “ Flying off ” and “ landing on ” were still in their infancy at the time of the armistice, and the modern aircraft carrier is essentially a post-war development. Indeed, the Ark Royal, launched at Birkenhead recently and due for completion in 1938, is the first British aircraft carrier specially designed as such, and the first to embodv all that has been learnt as the result of over 18 years’ intensive work on the part of what is now known as the Fleet Air Arm. The Illustrious and Victorious, of last year’s programme, to be built at Barrow-in-Furness and Walker-on-Tync, should bg ready for sea during 1939. Two more carriers were authorised in this year’s programme presented to Parliament in February. It seems that all these five new ships will be round about 23,000 tons, and that each will be able to carry some 70 aircraft. Our present carriers, which may be considered as more or less experimental, are all old ships, though still useful for their purpose. The 22,500-ton Courageous and Glorious, with their 48 aircraft, and the Curious, with 33, were completed as cruisers in 1917 and afterwards converted. The Eagle, now being equipped to carry 18 torpedo-spot-ter-reconnaissance machines for service in China, was laid down as a battleship before the war, and finally completed as a carrier in 1923, after many experiments and considerable modification. The smaller Hermes, of 10,850 tons, now serving in China with 15 aircraft, was laid down in 1918 and completed five years later; while the Argus, 14,450 tons, was started as a liner in 1914, purchased in 1916, and completed as a carrier just before hostilities ceased. She is now being fitted out as an operating ship for “ Queen Bee ” pilotless wireless-controlled aeroplanes for training the fleet in anti-aircraft gunnery. Rather more than 30 aircraft of varying types are also carried on catapults provided in battleships, battle-cruisers, and cruisers at home and abroad. Aircraft will form part of the normal equipment of all future ships over a certain size. Most people have some idea of the outward appearance of an aircraft carrier. The Furious, with her nearly 800 ft of length, her flush flight deck 75ft above the waterline, and the smoke being discharged from the end of it looks for all the world like a row of warehouses. The Courageous, Glorious, Eagle, and Hermes are more like ships, though, seen end on, it will be noticed that their superstructures, funnels, and masts are perched on the extreme starboard edge of the flight deck. The superstructure, or “ island,” contains the navigating bridge, chart house, sea cabins, meteorological office, and so forth. Imagine yourself looking down from the bridge, and you see, stretching forward and aft, the flat steel flight deck marked with its broad, white guiding lines. In the Courageous it is 600 ft long and 108 ft wide, with an area of, roughly, two acres. If figures convey little to the imagination, the usual hockev ground is 300 ft bv 180 ft. Conveniently placed in this expanse are the two hydraulic lifts for bringing the aircraft on deck from their hangars below; but imagine, for the time, that nine torpedo bombers are already massed on the after end of the flight deck with their engines running, and a couple of mechanics lying prone under each, holding the chocks to retain the wheels. The ship, meanwhile, is steaming head to wind at a speed sufficient to produce a wind speed of about 30 miles an hour. The wing commander takes his place on a little platform on the side of the bridge overlooking the scene. He drops a hand-flag, and the engine of the first aerop.ane breaks into a deafening, roar., The chocks are withdrawn, and she starts to move—faster and faster. Her wheels are off the deck and spinning almost before she swishes past the bridge. She shoots on ahead, passes over the bows of the ship, tilts over on one wing, and, rising, circles round to take station astern. She is followed by one machine after another, until the nine of them are in the air and in formation. The sheer precision of the operation is beautiful to watch. A dummy torpedo attack on the carrier follows, with the nine coming down from far ahead in three groups of three and diving down to within 20ft of the water to their mythical torpedoes. The carrier increases speed and alters course to dodge them. When all the nine have attacked, the ship again steams straight into the wind’s eye, and one after another the machines are signalled to land on. It is surprising, again, to see the f>erfect accuracy with which they alight and the short distance in which they are brought to a standstill, to be manhandled by the deck landing party and trundled aft to the lift, down which they disappear to the hangar below. One is assured by the pilots themselves that the whole operation is delightfully easy and simple. To the ordinary onlooker it looks surprisingly difficult and dangerous. Anyhow, it takes long and constant practice to make a successful Fleet Air Arm pilot. In particular, landing on may be a ticklish job in bad weather, with the least motion on the carrier. Later, a dozen or more fighter aircraft, each carrying four small bombs and 250 rounds of ammunition for their light machine-guns, are massed on the after end of the flight deck. They, too, are flown off. presently to form an endless chain and to dive down one by one to drop their bombs and fire their guns at a target towed by their parent ship. The fighters fly on again, bringing up practically on the foremost lift, and promptly disappearing below. The record in this respect. I was informed on one occasion, was six fighters landed and sent below in 4min 2Gsec.