HMS Vindex ( 1915 ) HMS " Vindex " was a Royal Navy seaplane carrier during the First World War . The ship spent the bulk of her career operating the North Sea where she twice unsuccessfully attacked the German Zeppelin base at Tondern and conducted anti - Zeppelin patrols . One of her Bristol Scout aircraft made the first take - off from an aircraft carrier in late 1915 . And another made the first interception of an airship by a carrier - based aircraft in mid - 1916 , when it unsuccessfully attacked the Zeppelin LZ17 . " Vindex " was transferred to the Mediterranean in 1918 and was sold back to her original owners in 1920 . She was requisitioned again in 1939 and served through World War II as a troopship under a different name . After the end of the war , the ship was returned to her owners and was sold for scrapping in 1954 . Description and conversion . The ship had an overall length of , a beam of , and a draught of at deep load . She displaced . Her three direct - drive steam turbines , each driving a propeller shaft , produced a total of . Steam was provided by four boilers . The ship carried of coal which meant that she could steam for at a speed of . Her crew numbered 218 , including 76 aviation personnel . " Vindex " s main armament consisted of four 50 - calibre , 12 - pounder 18 cwt guns , with 130 rounds stored for each gun . They fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of ; this gave a maximum range of . Their rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute . The ship also carried a single QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss anti - aircraft gun for which she carried 55 rounds . This had a maximum depression of 8° and a maximum elevation of 60° . It fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of at a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute . It had a maximum ceiling of , but an effective range of only . The 12 - pounder guns were later replaced by two anti - aircraft guns . " Vindex " was fitted with a long flying - off deck forward , intended for aircraft with wheeled undercarriages , and a prominent hangar aft . Two electric cranes were fitted aft and two derrick s forward to handle her aircraft . Initially she carried two dismantled single - seat aircraft in her small forward hangar and five floatplane s in the hangar aft . Both aircraft in the forward hangar could be reassembled and flown off in about ten minutes . She was capable of operating up to seven aircraft , and during her career , operated a range of aircraft including the Sopwith Schneider , the Sopwith Pup and the Sopwith 1½ Strutter in addition to the aircraft mentioned . Service . The ship was built in 1905 by Armstrong Whitworth , Newcastle upon Tyne as the " Viking " , a fast passenger ferry for the Isle of Man Steam Packet . " Viking " was requisitioned by the Royal Navy on 26 March 1915 for conversion to a seaplane carrier , and was purchased outright on 11 November 1915 . She was renamed HMS " Vindex " to avoid confusion with the destroyer . " Vindex " was assigned to the Harwich Force in November 1915 and operated in the North Sea through 1917 . A Bristol Scout C made the first take - off from the ship on 3 November 1915 with the ship steaming at ; the aircraft only used of the flight deck and it was the first take - off by a landplane from a Royal Navy ship . On 25 March 1916 " Vindex " attempted to attack the Zeppelin base at Tondern with three Short Type 184 and two Sopwith Baby floatplanes , but the attack was ineffective . It did , however , draw out elements of the German Navy so it was repeated on 4 May with the addition of . The two ships carried eleven Babies between them , each armed with bombs , but eight failed to take - off ; one hit the mast of an escorting destroyer and one had to return due to engine trouble . No damage was inflicted , but one Zeppelin was shot down by a cruiser when it sortie d to find the British ships . On 2 August one of her Bristol Scouts unsuccessfully attacked the Zeppelin LZ17 with explosive Ranken dart s , the first interception of an airship by a carrier - based aircraft in history . " Vindex " was to provide aerial reconnaissance with two of her seaplanes for a Coastal Motor Boat raid on 22 October 1916 , but the operation was aborted because of fog . The ship was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet at Malta in 1918 , where she served until she was paid off in late 1919 . " Vindex " was originally intended to be retained for service with the fleet after the end of the war , but this proved to be too expensive and she was sold back to her original owners on 12 February 1920 and reverted to her original name . She was requisitioned again in 1939 and served through the Second World War as a troopship , but not as HMS " Vindex " . The ship was returned to her owners in 1945 and was finally sold for scrap in 1954 .