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The Worlds longest serving Aircraft Carrier
HMS Hermes (R12) was a Royal Navy aircraft carrier that served as a key component of Britain's naval aviation capability during the Cold War era. Launched in 1953, she was the last conventional British aircraft carrier and had a long and distinguished career before being sold to India in 1986, where she continued her service as the INS Viraat.
HMS Hermes was initially laid down as HMS Elephant during World War II in 1944. The ship’s construction was delayed due to post-war budget constraints, and she was finally launched on February 16, 1953, by the Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness. Upon her commissioning on November 25, 1959, Hermes became the seventh ship in the Royal Navy to bear the name, embodying the tradition of its predecessors.
Initially intended as a Centaur-class light fleet carrier, HMS Hermes was redesigned during construction to accommodate advances in naval aviation, such as angled flight decks, steam catapults, and mirror landing systems. This marked a shift in British naval strategy, preparing Hermes to support jet aircraft and helicopters, which were becoming the mainstay of naval aviation.
Key Milestones:
Read about the stories of the men onboard HMS Hermes
Hermes joins the Royal Navy
Copyright British Pathe
Sea Vixens from 890 Sqn
A day in the life of Hermes
Malta 1967
Sailing off Steamer point to give the South Arabian Army ground to air experience
First ever deck landings of A4Gs & S2Es Nov 1968 HMS Hermes Copyright Australian War Memorial
1974 Nato Exercise Dawn Patrol off Italy
The story of family repatriated on HMS Hermes from the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974
Nato Exercise in South West Europe 1977
Nato Exercise 1979 being monitored by Soviet planes
HMS Hermes comes back from the Falklands War to a Heroes welcome
20th Century Battlefields Episode 7 Falklands War, 1982
Find your way around the ship as we add each section in turn. Discover places you never knew existed.
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