Invincible class aircraft carrier

The German light carrier BMS Brandenburg (R 05) passing by Jacksonville, Dixieland en route to Belize on May 21st, 2004.

The Invincible-class aircraft carriers are a class of small aircraft carriers that serve in the Chilean, German, Iranian, Portuguese, and West Japanese navies from the 1980s onwards. The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platforms to counter the he vessels were built to counter the American submarine threat in the North Atlantic. Originally intended for service in the Royal Navy, however budgetary limitations would force the Admiralty to end up cancelled the three Invincible-class carriers in favour of the King George VI-class supercarriers. The British government would end up selling two to Germany and one to West Japan. In the mid-1980s, Chile, Iran, and Portugal would end up purchasing Invincible-class CVLs of their own.

Specifications

• Type: Light Fleet Carrier
• Service Period: 1977-2020s
• Characteristics
  • Length: 804 feet (245.06 meters)
  • Beam: 138 feet 4 inches (42.16 meters)
  • Draft: 32 feet (9.76 meters)
  • Displacement: 24,400 tons (Standard); 31,300 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 1,350 (800 ship crew and 550 air crew)
• Propulsion: 4 x Rolls Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines, 8 × Paxman Valenta diesel generators, 2 x shafts, 112,000 shp (84 MW)
• Range: 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 kilometers) at 18 knots (33.34 km/h)
• Speed: 31.8 knots (58.9 km/h)
• Sensor Suite:
  • Type 909 G/H-band Fire Control RDF
  • Type 996 E/F-band Surface Search RDF
  • Type 1006 I-band Navigation RDF
  • Type 1022 D-band Air Search RDF
  • Type 2016 Hull mounted Active/Passive Search and Attack ASDIC
• Armament
  • 3 x Goalkeeper 30mm/77-caliber CIWS
• Air Wing: 34 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters
• Aviation Facilities: 13.5% ski jump

Unit Run

British Empire

• HMS Invincible (R05) - sold to Germany
• HMS Temeraire (R06) - sold to Germany
• HMS Bellerophon (R07) - sold to West Japan

Chile

• BAC Excelsior (R03)
• BAC Intrépido (R04)

Germany

• BMS Brandenburg (R05) - ex HMS Invincible
• BMS Baden-Württemburg (R06) - ex HMS Temeraire

Iran

• RIS Haurvetat (R02)

West Japan

• RJS Mutekitaka (CVL-02) - ex HMS Bellerophon

Portugal

• NRP Hermenegildo Capelo (R-02)
• NRP Pedro Alvares Cabral (R-03)