Centaur - class aircraft carrier The " Centaur " class of aircraft carrier s of the Royal Navy was the last of the light fleet carrier designs started during the closing years of World War II . History . Originally conceived as a class of eight vessels , with the end of hostilities , work on all the ships was suspended and four units " Monmouth " , " Polyphemus " , " Arrogant " and " Hermes " were cancelled outright . The four remaining vessels remained uncompleted for the best part of a decade . The earlier light fleet carriers of the " Colossus " and " Majestic " classes were completed before work resumed on the larger ships . With the extended completion periods of the units , and the rapid advances in aircraft carrier design at the time of their building , it was almost inevitable that large differences should be seen between the various members of the class . HMS " Centaur " , the first to be completed , was commissioned in 1954 . The ship had an axial flight deck and was thus unsuitable for operating the jets then rapidly supplanting piston engine aircraft in the Fleet Air Arm . " Centaur " was commissioned in Belfast and after completing her sea trials , she then steamed into Portsmouth Dockyard and for the next six months in 1954 the ship underwent a substantial reconstruction to provide for an angled flight deck , However , service in this new configuration did not last long and the ship was decommissioned in 1965 . Conversion to a " commando carrier " configuration was cancelled in 1966 . The final ship of the class started as " Elephant " , but renamed as , she had a longer service life than any of the others in British hands . Not completed until 1959 , some 15 years after being started , " Hermes " incorporated a full angled flight deck and other changes compared to " Centaur " , " Albion " and " Bulwark " . After fulfilling the role of a light attack carrier for a number of years , " Hermes " was converted to a commando carrier to replace " Albion " in the early 1970s . However , a return to operating fixed - wing aircraft beckoned at the end of the decade . " Hermes " was fitted with a ski - jump to enable the ship to operate the new Sea Harrier aircraft then coming into service . In this role , the ship saw considerable action in the Falklands War , acting as the flagship of the aircraft carrier task force . " Hermes " finally left Royal Navy service in 1984 , and was sold to India . As INS " Viraat " , the ship continues in active service as of 2012 . Design . The " Centaur " class were intermediate in size between the " Colossus " and " Majestic " class light carriers and the " Audacious " class fleet carriers . At first this did not prove to be a hindrance . However , as the 1960s progressed , and jets continued to get larger and heavier , the point was eventually reached where the " Centaur " s could not sustain a balanced air wing of conventional aircraft . " Hermes " survived the longest as a conventional carrier , even operating the Blackburn Buccaneer . However , " Hermes " was not large enough to operate the Phantom FG . 1 . In roles they were not originally designed for , the class also proved successful . The loss of " Albion " and " Bulwark ' s " helicopter capability was keenly felt in the Royal Navy for many years , until an effective replacement , in the form of was commissioned in 1998 . " Hermes " also performed sterling service as a platform for the Sea Harrier and made a vital contribution to the winning of the Falklands War , the largest naval conflict since 1945 . Models . Models have been made of " Centaur " class carriers to many scales , but some of the most widely distributed were the mass - produced metal 1 : 1200 ( one inch to 100 feet ) scale version introduced by Triang Minic ships in 1959 . This was produced in the UK between 1959 and 1965 , carrying the names of " Albion , Bulwark " and " Centaur " , and again in a more detailed Hornby Minic Ships version of " Bulwark " made in Hong Kong between 1975 and 1980 . The model is very durable , and remains popular with toy ship collectors to this day .