HMS Indomitable

The HMS Indomitable was the Admiral-class battlecruiser HMS Howe. With the Washington Treaty coming into effect in

## Details

### Fate

Scrapped 1962

1927, and with many nations disgruntled over the completeion of the St Andrew-class Battleship, and the Warrior class battlecruiser, plans were set aside for the Admiral class battlecruiser and cancelled (excluding the 72% completed Hood).

The Howe and her sister ship Anson sat in dry dock, officially cancelled for 2 years, with more efforts being made to maintain the hulls then to scrap them.

In 1924, with the launch of the Langley, and several other nations moving forward with aircraft carriers, Britain decided to move forward with the hulls and repurpose them into "battlecarriers".

The newly rechristened Invincible and Indomitable (to partially hide their origin from foreign media), were to have their front guns remain, while the rear guns and most of the superstructure replaced to make room for hangers and a flight deck.

Howe was cancelled at 30% completion, with her Barbettes just laid but not yet installed.

While work continued on Indomitable, after the launch of Invincible, it was decided that Indomitable would be a full length carrier. With a superstructure identical to the Invincible, Indomitable had double the airplane storage of Invincible, able to carry 80 aircraft.

Her forward turrets would be put in storage, and along with the rear turrets of the Invincible, would be placed on the HMS Beagle.

## Interwar

When launched in 1929, she was the largest aircraft carrier in the world, weighing in at an unprecedented 45,000 tonnes. This made her 2000 tonnes heavier then the American USS Constitution and USS United States. She would continue to hold this record until the USS Constellation was launched. However, unlike the American Carriers, the Indomitable was an armored carrier, having an armored flight deck.
So while heavier, the Indomitable carried some 15 less planes then the Americans.

While launched after the Washington Treaty deadline, many nations were disgruntled over the repurposing of the Indomitable and her sister Invincible. This led to many nations converting battlecruisers into carriers. The Japanese IJN Akaishi, German Mackensen, and the 2 Lexington-class ships converted listed above would also be completed as carriers.

While Indomitable's sister ship Invincible was completed as a battlecarrier, half way through Indomitable's conversion, the decision was made to fully convert her into a full length carrier. This was partially due to the fact that, unlike the Invincible, the former Howe had only been 30% complete on cancellation. At this stage, she had not been fit with barrettes, and only her machinery had been placed.

   Completed with a 820 ft long flight deck, like Invincible her bridge located underneath the flight deck. Her twin funnels were located to the starboard side, pointing down. Identical to her sister Invincible.

   Unlike her sister ship, Indomitable was launched with the ability to store 65 aircraft, with 2 elevators directly installed.

While having a high center of gravity, Indomitable was much more stable in high seas over Invincible. She could operate in seas very similar to her contemporaries.

In 1936, plans were set to refit the aged Indomitable, which, besides a very minor 1931 refit replacing her elevators, had not seen a major refit. Re fitment started in late 1934 she was heavily modernized. Her machinery was overhauled, with her aircraft machinery coming from the pending Illustrious-class carrier. Her engines were also overhauled and replaced.

Overall her refit very much mirrored Invincible, with her flight deck lowered 8m (as opposed to 5m on Invincible). Her flight deck was elongated to the full length of the ship; 865 ft.

Her bridge was relocated to a tower on the starboard side. The 2 downward facing funnels were replaced, and incorporated into the superstructure, leaving her with an elongated dorsal funnel, very similar to the converted USS Constitution and USS United States.

Her AA complement was also heavily revamped, with it being nearly doubled in comparison to before. Overall, her displacement increased to an 50,000 tonnes. This not only made her the largest aircraft carrier, but the largest ship in the world upon recommissioning. She held this record until the commissioning of the Yamato in 1941.

After recommissioning in fall of 1938, she was quickly redeployed to sea trials. While her speed had been reduced to 28 knots, she was still a quick vessel, and was the pride of the British as the largest warship in the world.

Throughout spring and summer of 1939, the HMS Indomitable underwent a lengthy deployment to the South Atlantic as flagship along with the battle cruiser HMS Courageous, visiting several of Britain's Colonys not only in the West Indies, but those in the South Atlantic. Shortly after departing the Falkland Islands, to sail for Sierra Leone, the German invasion of Poland begun.

Wanting to prevent German commerce raiding in the South Atlantic, HMS Indomitable stayed in the South Atlantic, searching for any German surface ship. With a desperate need for aircraft carriers in the home fleet, the HMS Indomitable was replaced with the much smaller HMS Vindictive and the cruiser HMS Birmingham.

## WW2

 Indomitable led a very successful WW2 career.

 Indomitable finally arrived in Scalpa Flow and joined the home fleet in late 1940. Her fighters were replaced with 2 squadrons of Mk3 Hawker Hurricanes, and 2 squadrons of the antiquated but reliable Fairey Swordfish.

 While first deployed to the Mediterranian in 1940, after the loss of her half sister ship at Malta in 1940, it was decided to recall her to the home fleet. Helping support the attacks on the Nazi North Sea Drilling operations, her aircraft managed to sink several drilling ships and several german light and medium cruisers.

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 Sinks Graf Fitti, 1944

 Refit 1944 with Hurricane bow

 She was also a major factor in the Battle of the Atlantic. Her aircraft were used to hunt down and sink u-boats.

 disables vichy french battleships at Casablanca

 1946 deployed with HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Duke of York during hunt for Tegetthoff

 Her aircraft sinksBaden 1944, Moltke 1947.

 Sinks IJN Nagato, IJN Unzen, 1948