HMS Argus (1918)

Type

Aircraft Carrier

Period

20th Century

Nation

Great Britain

Overview: HMS Argus was a Royal Navy aircraft carrier converted from the unfinished Italian ocean liner Conte Rosso, and is historically significant as the world's first carrier built with a full-length, unobstructed flight deck allowing wheeled aircraft to take off and land safely, establishing the design pattern followed by all later flat-top carriers. Specifications: As built she displaced about 14,450 long tons standard, measured 565 ft (172.2 m) overall with a 68 ft (20.7 m) beam, and was powered by four steam turbines driving four shafts for a top speed of roughly 20 knots. She carried 15-18 aircraft, a modest armament of four 4-inch AA guns plus low-angle 4-inch guns, and had a flight deck around 549 ft long with a hangar beneath measuring about 330 ft in length. Service History: Commissioned in September 1918 just before the Armistice, Argus spent her early career pioneering carrier operating techniques, arresting gear, and fleet aviation tactics rather than seeing WWI combat. She was reduced to reserve in the late 1920s for budgetary reasons, recommissioned in 1938, and served mainly as a training and ferry carrier through most of World War II, though she saw front-line action with Force H in 1942 and supported the North African landings before being reclassified as an accommodation ship in late 1944. Notable Facts: Nicknamed the "Hat Box" and "Flat Iron" for her distinctive flush-decked profile, Argus originally had a design with twin superstructure islands that wind-tunnel testing showed would cause dangerous turbulence; this led to an April 1918 order to modify her to the fully flush-deck configuration for which she is remembered. She was sold for scrapping in December 1946 after nearly three decades of service spanning both World Wars.