The Illustrious (NR-01) at sea.
The Illustrious-class, often known as the Illustrious II-class to distinguish them from the earlier class of the same name, were two nuclear-powered supercarriers of the Royal Navy, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal, the first ships in the world to use nuclear power. The Admiralty originally planned to build six Illustrious-class carriers but the remaining four ships were never lad down due to cost overruns during the construction of Illustrious and Ark Royal. They are 1,125 feet (342.9 meters) in length and can carry around 100 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.
Specifications[]
- Type: Aircraft Carrier
- Service Period: 1961 - Present
- Characteristics:
- Length: 1125 feet (342.9 meters)
- Beam: 257.2 feet ( 78.4 meters)
- Draft: 39 feet (12 meters)
- Displacement: 93,000 tons (Standard);
- Crew: 5,828 - Maximum
- Propulsion:
- 8 Rolls-Royce PWR1 Nuclear Reactor
- 4 Parsons Geared Steam Turbines
- 4 Propeller shafts
- 220,000shp (164MW)
- Range: Unlimited
- Speed: 33 knots (61.12 km/h)
- Sensor Suite:
- Type 965Q Long-Range Aircraft Warning RDF - replaced by Type 1022 Long-Range Surveillance RDF
- Type 988 3D Air-Surveillance RDF - Added in refit
- Type 996 3D Surveillance RDF - Added in refit
- Type 982 Air Detection RDF - replaced by Type 986 RDF
- Type 974 Navigation RDF - replaced by Type 1008 Navigation RDF
- Type 993 Surface-Search RDF
- Type 987 Height Finding RDF
- Type 963 Carrier Approach RDF
- Type 901 Fire-Control RDF
- Countermeasures:
- Rheinmetall Multi-Ammunition Softkill System
- Sea Gnat decoy
- Surface Ship Torpedo Defense System
- Armament:
- None - original
- 4x 8-cell GWS-33 – 32x Sea Flash Mk.1 - added in refit (Mid-Late 1960s)
- 4x 30mm Phalanx CIWS - added in refit (1970s)
- 1x 21-cell GWS-27-Mod.2 - 21x SeaCeptor - added in refit (2000s)
- Armour:
- Armoured Flight Deck, Hangar, Magazines and Reactor: 8-inches (203mm)
- Aircraft Carried: ~100 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters
- Aviation Facilities: 4 Steam Catapults
Unit Run[]
- HMS Illustrious (NR-01)
- HMS Ark Royal (NR-02)
- HMS Unnamed - cancelled
- HMS Unnamed - cancelled
- HMS Unnamed - cancelled
- HMS Unnamed - cancelled
| Ship | Hull No. | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Illustrious | NR-01 | 4 February 1958 | 24 September 1960 | 11 November 1961 | 11 November 2014 |
| HMS Ark Royal | NR-02 | 5 February 1959 | 31 October 1961 | 27 December 1962 | Due to be Retired in 2017 |