HMS Colossus (1943)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The fourth and last
Colossus (15) had a relatively brief time with the
Royal Navy. She was the name-ship of the
Colossus-class Light Fleet carriers, and were basically smaller derivatives of the Illustrious Class. She was launched in
1943 and commissioned in
1944. She served with the British Pacific Fleet from
1945-46, prior to being loaned to France, where she was named
FS Arromanches in
1946. While in French service, she participated in the
Indo-China conflict in
1948 for three months. She returned to
France in
1949 and purchased by them in
1951. The following year, she returned once again to
Indo-China, this time as a fully fledged French warship. Between
1958-
59 she was reconstructed with a 4 degree angled flight deck.
In 1968 she was converted to an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Carrier, operating up to 24 helicopters. She decommissioned in 1974 after a long and faithful career with the French Navy. She was broken up at Toulon in 1978, a place that had been present to the first Colossus in 1793 and the last in 1978.
See HMS Colossus for other ships of the name.
Colossus Class Statistics
- Displacement: 13,400 tons
- Length: 695 feet
- Beam: 80 feet
- Draught: 23.5 feet
- Speed: 25 knots
- Compliment: 1,300
- Aircraft: 48
- Propulsion: Steam Turbines (4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons geared turbines)
