HMS Eagle (R05) - The Largest British Fleet Carrier

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The Royal Navy, in the Cold War, was a shadow of its former self. A parade of economic issues and political mismanagement taking a powerful fleet and shrinking it down.
This is, perhaps, most apparent with the aircraft carriers. And HMS Eagle is a fine example of this. The largest British carrier, prior to the new Queen Elizabeths. A capable warship, that was retired early. And left to rot, as nothing more than a parts donor for her sister ship.
A sad end, really.
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Опубликовано:

4 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 47

@skyneahistory2306 День назад

Going to put this here, too, since it’s apparently necessary. Directly quoting Hobbs, a retired British naval officer: “The original intention to fit the British two-track trolley-type hydraulic catapult was changed in 1943 to the USN style two point, tail down method using a strop which fell away from the aircraft after launch.” Frankly, I don’t get the leap in logic that saying ‘American style catapult’ somehow translates to ‘American’s invented the catapult’ or implying the British didn’t invent a catapult.

@Yandarval День назад

Its the usual "USA invented everything", that some people whom salute a flag while listening to a British drinking song tune have. Apart for the "tea kettle" in US carrier's. The British invented nearly everything that makes a modern carrier possible. Too many "spangler's" believe the US invented everything on a carrier.

@ingurlund9657 День назад

You poor bugger. Mentioning catapults to Brits. I wondered what you meant at first about US style catapult and then realized you meant the hydraulic one's of WW2. I had first thought of steam because Eagle was a post war ship but of course started during the war as you had said. Anyway I bet you had Brits crawling all over you. Thanks for the vid... from a Brit.

@blackbirdmark495 День назад

One of the carriers that my dad served on during the 1950’s. Brings back memories. Great video & thanks.

@8MoonsOfJupiter 2 часа назад

My Dad served on the Eagle in the late 60's/early 70s. One of my very earliest memories was going onboard for Families Day when I was about 6 yrs old; I can still clearly remember standing on the flight deck and how loud the Buccaneers were when they did a fly-past and looking out the porthole from Dad's room! What a treat it was for a young kid to get to go onboard an aircraft-carrier and see where Dad worked!

@Thunderer0872 День назад

One of the ships my father served on in the 1950s I have a pic of him on the plane tractor that pulled the jets on the flight deck.

@terry9325 19 часов назад

My oldest brother was on the Eagle in the fifties as part of the deck crew .i did have some photos of him on the deck but they been misplaced or lost years ago 😢

@lyedavide 22 часа назад

A very sad end to an otherwise perfectly good carrier. Also a testament to the ailing British economy. A real pity. Thanks for another great episode.

@johnjephcote7636 18 часов назад

I remember sailing around her in the evening, early 1970s. She was anchored in the Tamar, lonely and empty, awaiting her disposal.

@JGCR59 День назад

That searchlight shaped thing on her bridge after refit is the Type 984 radar, a truly monstrous 3d S band search and GCI radar that weighed 30 tons but out performed more sophisticated sets by sheer brute force. Btw, the tall ship at 14:28 is the Danmark, a full rigged ship still used by Denmark to train merchant sailors (for Maersk among others) today.

@tonystevens9278 День назад

A good video thank you. As rebuilt HMS Eagle represented the zenith of British conventional (catobar) construction since her 1959 -64 refit was much more extensive than that provided later to her sister ship. It is a shame that like HMS Victorious she was withdrawn from service prematurely. With the benefit of hindsight disposing of the Tiger' class cruisers & retaining Eagle would have perhaps been a better decision.

@moosifer3321 2 часа назад

The decline of the Royal Navy was something I witnessed as a child being born in Plymouth, home of Devonport during Navy Days and viewing of the`Mothball Fleet` moored in the River Tamar. HMS Vanguard remains a vague memory as a vast grey Bulk since I was about 4yrs old at the time. My wish to tour a Submarine was thwarted by my Father (a Royal Marine Colour Sargeant) who refused to board such a craft, although he served aboard the Cruisers Sheffield (of Bismark fame) Superb plus the Commando Carriers Bulwark and Albion post WWII having not being allowed to join the RAF due to serving on the LMS Railway during the Conflict. Politicians in that Era have a LOT to answer for!

@johnthomas7038 18 часов назад

Eagle was actually due for the Phantom refit before he Ark Royal, but the Ark broke down badly and was refitted first alongside repairs which broke the budget for both carrier refits and then some.

@simonelsey День назад

could have done with the at least one fleet carrier in the Falkland's rather than try and convert Atlantic conveyor to plane transporter ..hopefully lesson learned ...

@mahbriggs День назад

There were British carriers in the Falllands war!

@MCMXLVI День назад

The Royal Navy should have recommissioned the cruiser Blake/or Tiger and the Ark Royal!. The situation would have been very different!.

@Hannymcfee День назад

@@MCMXLVINot really, Blake and Tiger could only really carry a few Helicopters and Ark Royal was by that point non-functional/scrap

@simonelsey 23 часа назад

@@mahbriggs yes but not of a suitable size hence reference to Atlantic conveyor

@mahbriggs 18 часов назад

@simonelsey So? Part of the problem wasted did not have enough Harriers ready to be deployed! Not that they couldn't have been transported on the carriers! At least you had the carriers! A few years later, you didn't even have those! Now you have a couple of small carriers again, at least when they are operational.

@American_Jeeper 17 часов назад

Another thing that isn't really ever discussed, probably because even the carrier "experts" don't know this, is that, specifically as it pertains to Ark Royal and her Invincible class namesake, they had very effective and productive Signals Intelligence facilities on board. I worked with R07 Ark Royal SIGINT personnel regularly during the mid-late 90's and their intel was second to none.

@Moredread25 День назад

Nice video.

@JGCR59 День назад

Eagle seems to have lost her 4.5 inch mounts after the angled deck refit already even if it isn't mentioned anywhere. Also I guess the number of Bofors guns was reduced as well. Re Sea Cat and Bofors, Sea Cat was designed to replace Bofors mounts (the normal twin or single ones) on a 1 for 1 basis with the same weight and deck space, so replacing those sextuple mounts saved weight.

@dennisvandermarkt8263 День назад

Have you done the USS Long Beach ?

@markymark3572 14 часов назад

It's been this way with the RN ever since when it comes to budget spending.

@JGCR59 День назад

The large amount of Bofors guns was due to the fact (as you see at 5:56) they were carried in sextuple mounts designated Mark VI. I think those were not very successful and overly complicated. Instead of the usual 4 round clips they had 36 round trays for each of the six guns which could only be reloaded while the gun was at a set angle and not moving. So they offered heavy firepower for a short time but not the constant stream of fire a WW2 bofors guns could with loaders continously throwing in 4 round clips manually. Since they were only radar guided, I suppose the trade off was accepted as against jets and missiles, engagement times would be seconds.

@FinsburyPhil День назад

Essentially Britain ended up with Essex carrier equivalents trying to do the job of a Forrestal. Just too big a compromise to be effective. It's a shame that a couple of Malta class carriers weren't built - we would then at least have had something more along the lines of a Midway to convert as well. Having those alongside Eagle and Ark Royal, we would then have not had to rely on the far too small Hermes and Victorious. The CVA-01 would then possibly not have been designed and cancelled in the 60's when the country was completely broke and we might have had something built in the late 70's/early 80's that was more capable than the new Illustrious class. Timing is everything.

@brianwillson9567 23 часа назад

A very astute appraisal of Britain's carrier requirements as opposed to that was reluctantly provided.

@ingurlund9657 День назад

At 11.55 what are the 3 carriers.

@moodogco День назад

What do u mean an American style catapult? We the British invented & was the first too use it 😂

@HighlanderNorth1 День назад

Well, the Brits also used "American style" tanks, battleships, hot tea, fish & chips, and enormous clock towers! 😁

@skyneahistory2306 День назад

Going to be honest, I don’t see the need to be snarky or turn this into a contest. Directly quoting Hobbs, who served in the RN for over 30 years and is *not* American: “The original intention to fit the British two-track trolley-type hydraulic catapult was changed in 1943 to the USN style two point, tail down method using a strop which fell away from the aircraft after launch.” Like, really. I don’t make these statements out of the blue. Or because I happen to be American.

@dennisnaylor2965 День назад

The British did invent the steam catapult. Plus the angled flight deck and mirror landing system. Also as an aside......what "battleships"?

@moodogco День назад

@@skyneahistory2306 u took it the wrong way, its just how I am & come across as direct but I was correct in what I said & that's just facts!!! I enjoy your content tho as I enjoy naval history

@mahbriggs День назад

@@moodogco But it was also an America style! Think of it as a hybrid system!

@1977Yakko День назад

What does the "R05" designation mean?

@superted6960 День назад

Royal Navy ships have a letter that defines what they are. F = frigate. D = destroyer. Aircraft carriers have the designation R (the reasons for this seem a bit unclear, but might have been the first available letter when carriers started to be built) The 05 just identifies one carrier from another.

@1977Yakko День назад

@superted6960 thanks!

@joewalker2152 4 часа назад

As I understand it "R" stands for "Recovery" as the first ships involving aircraft were floatplane tenders which had lower and pick up the floatplanes with a crane and were known as "floatplane recovery ships"

@micahpeeler4677 День назад

Woohoo

@carrickrichards2457 2 часа назад

1945-1951 the economy was a basket case. Foreign exchange restrictions were draconian. The socialist government priorities were on social and health care spendin, and were revolutionary in those fields. The British empire with its obligations and costs was being handed back, in some cases in a great hurry. Military priorities were focussed on land and 'police' neccessities.

@JGCR59 День назад

At 2:26 you see Fairey Firebrand torpedo bombers/fighters on the fantail. Probably one of the worst aircraft the Fleet Air Arm ever had.

@stephenhargreaves9324 День назад

Well, if that is so it was truly an amazing achievement given how strong the competition was.

@TheArgieH 22 часа назад

Tsk, tsk the execrable Firebrand was a Blackburn product, "(dis)credit" where it is due! Blackburn did take over production of the Swordfish, Fairey's lines being filled by Fulmars and oncoming Firebrands. It was Blackburn who developed the Swordfish Mk3, an ASW beast with millimetric radar, a cabin for the operator and tube, plus metal for the lower plane to launch ASW rockets, and bombs and depth charges to taste. It made the "Biscay Dash" even more difficult for U boats, the radar "seeing" both Snorts and periscopes. So adding the Buck, three out of four isn't too bad. I didn't forget the Skua which wasn't all bad. It was the first FAA monoplane, first with retractable undercarriage and a fuselage designed to float for thirty minutes to allow for evacuation. The Skua sank a German cruiser by a rare dive bombing attack and I think was credited with the first air to air kill of WWII (over Scapa). As long as nobody stuck a turret on the back and called it a fighter, sigh!