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NEXT MONTH
Your next Weapons of War profiles the Oberon-class submarines, a diesel-electric
hunter-killer that served with the Royal Navy, the Australians and Canadians during
the Cold War. The September issue is in the UK shops on August 29 – don’t miss it!
crew’s interest to evacuate as quickly
as possible. Undoubtedly this saved
hundreds of lives, if not the ship.
What’s more, a report produced
by the Bucknill Committee on the
government’s behalf found several
notable design flaws that had a
significant impact on her sinking.
Insufficient secondary generators
hindered damage limitation, while
the boiler room and bulkhead design
failed to contain the flooding. In late
2002, the discovery of the wreck for a
BBC documentary and its subsequent
examination supported the assertion
that it was design shortcomings – as
opposed to the captain’s actions – that
were most pivotal to her sinking. The
findings appeared to exonerate Captain
Maund, who died in 1957 after having
attained the rank of Rear-Admiral.
LEGACY
Ark Royal sank at the tail end of
1941, but of course, war would wage
on for another four years. So, at an
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opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that opposed to the captain’s actions – that
were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The were most pivotal to her sinking. The
ABOVE
Swordfish of 820
Squadron on Ark
Royal in May 1939.
BELOW
Six Skuas ranged
on the deck of Ark
Royal during the
hunt for the Graf
Spee. HMS Renown
can be seen in the
background.
unprecedented cost, almost two years
to build, plus another to kit her out,
followed by less than two and a half
years active service...was Ark Royal
really worth it? In terms of tonnage,
the combined weight of just the two
ships, Admiral Graf Spee and Bismarck
which the carrier contributed to
sinking was more than two times
greater that than of Ark Royal. But, of
course, her role extended far beyond
the downing of ships, as she was
tasked with providing air support and
supplies in a range of theatres. Her
presence, or even the mistaken belief
of her presence, was enough to strike
fear into the enemy.
Ultimately though, it would appear
her Achilles heel was forged within
her design itself, and one positive
to come from Ark Royal’s demise
was the lessons learnt. The flaws
highlighted in the Bucknill Committee
report would directly inform the
design of carriers then currently in
development, notably the Implacable
and Illustrious class.
Ark Royal was not only an important
step in the development of carriers,
but a genuine talisman for the
Royal Navy. Yet, with the last in
the line of Ark Royal ships recently
decommissioned and sent to the
scrapyard, only time will tell if the
name will rise again.
