Last remaining WW1 Aircraft Carrier restored

[BobR]

I didn't even know they had an aircraft carrier in WW1, but that is what they call it. A whopping 58 feet of deck. One plane per boat, good thing they didn't need a lot of them.



http://www.express.co.uk/news/world-war-1/468761/Last-remaining-World-War-1-aircraft-carrier-lovingly-restored


bob

[geronimotwo]

 i would say that is being towed by a destroyer or other larger ship.   stall speed on those biplanes was likely around 40 knots, how fast were the older ships?

[BobR]

The rudimentary vessels were used to launch First World War biplanes at sea so they could intercept German airships before they reached Britain.

A Sopwith Camel would be strapped to the deck of the craft before it was towed into the wind at more than 20 knots.

A crew had to hold the plane back while the pilot got the engine up to speed – then release the chocks at the right moment.

The pilot had the 58ft of “runway” to get the plane airborne – or plummet into the sea.

After completing a raid, the pilot then had to ditch the plane into the sea and await rescue.

Helluva way to earn your daily ration of grog!!!

bob

[Boomhauer]

Helluva way to earn your daily ration of grog!!!

bob

A similar concept was used in WWII- The Catapult Aircraft Merchantman

[Hutch]

I didn't even know they had an aircraft carrier in WW1, but that is what they call it. A whopping 58 feet of deck. One plane per boat, good thing they didn't need a lot of them.


http://www.express.co.uk/news/world-war-1/468761/Last-remaining-World-War-1-aircraft-carrier-lovingly-restored


bob

And smartass me was gonna smirk about your error in the title.  Ya learn something every day.

[K Frame]

They were towed, they certainly weren't powered, so they were really aircraft barges.

The first true aircraft carrier, with both fly off and landing capabilities and which was a powered ship in its own right was, IIRC, the HMS Argus.

Damn, I had to go look it up...

It was HMS Furious, although it didn't have a flat deck. It had a flight deck ahead of a bunch of superstructure and a flight deck aft on which landings could be made. Argus was the first flat deck carrier.

Apparently the first carrier to serve in war was the Ark Royal, which could launch and recover seaplanes, and could also launch wheeled aircraft, but couldn't recover them.

[Tallpine]

The picture shows the boat being towed, but it looks like a PT boat type.

Those don't have much range, so maybe they were towing it out to sea (or back) to save fuel.

A torpedo boat should be able to get up enough speed to launch a bi-plane pretty easy, assuming the water wasn't too rough.

[Perd Hapley]

So who's going to 'shop Tom Cruise onto that boat?

[BobR]

They were towed, they certainly weren't powered, so they were really aircraft barges.

Or as the Brits liked to call it, an aircraft lighter. They were also used to carry seaplanes, could be flooded to float off the seaplane and then used compressed air to blow out the water used to flood it.

This is actually a pretty interesting write up on the lighters, if that type of thing interests you.

http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/712/seaplane-lighter-h21

bob

[K Frame]

The picture shows the boat being towed, but it looks like a PT boat type.

Those don't have much range, so maybe they were towing it out to sea (or back) to save fuel.

A torpedo boat should be able to get up enough speed to launch a bi-plane pretty easy, assuming the water wasn't too rough.

The only range that these craft had was provided by the tow ship. The lighter (thank you, Bob, I could not remember that term!) was NOT powered.

The design was apparently similar, or even based on, the coastal motor boat, which was the genesis of the later PT-style boat. The CMB was known for its shallow draft, excellent stability, and high speed, so it was a logical platform for such a task.

[Tallpine]

The only range that these craft had was provided by the tow ship. The lighter (thank you, Bob, I could not remember that term!) was NOT powered.

The design was apparently similar, or even based on, the coastal motor boat, which was the genesis of the later PT-style boat. The CMB was known for its shallow draft, excellent stability, and high speed, so it was a logical platform for such a task.

So they took the motor out before adding the airplane ramp   

[K Frame]

So they took the motor out before adding the airplane ramp   

No, they didn't take the motor out...

They never put the motor in.

It was built as an unpowered hull.

That's all it needed to be.

These things were never intended to be seagoing under their own power, because it would have been horribly impractical. A plane of that era wouldn't survive more than a short time in waves of any height. It's what, maybe 6 to 8 feet above the surface? It wouldn't take much of a wave to wipe out that Camel. Some of the waves in the English channel on a relatively calm day would be enough to take the plane out, and I can't even imagine what would happen to the plane (where did the plane go? It's gone!) in a North Sea storm.

The plane and the lighter were carried on a mother ship, and when needed, the plane prepared for flight, was hoisted onto the lighter, and the tow established.

[Tallpine]

Reference 

Or are you pulling all that out of the picture 

Maybe they broke down or ran out of fuel and just happened to be towing it at that moment.

[BobR]

http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/712/seaplane-lighter-h21

http://navalairhistory.com/2012/03/14/flying-boat-lighter-stunts/

That's about all for now.

bob

[Gewehr98]

Grumpy Old Man is...  Grumpy.

[K Frame]

Thanks, Bob, I'd not found the Naval Air History page.

"Or are you pulling all that out of the picture."

Well, first and foremost I'm pulling it from my memory based on my extensive reading on the subject. The development of the aircraft carrier, and it surplanting the battleship, is one of great fascination for me.

My second reference point is the first page that Bob linked: http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/712/seaplane-lighter-h21

His second page shows the stern of the H21, and make it very clear that there was simply no where for engines to be carried.

The basic design of these lighters, whether built by Thornycroft or by Admiralty shipyards, was based on the coastal boats that Thornycroft had designed for the Royal Navy in the early 1900s, and which had continued to evolve.

Here's a neat picture of a flying boat being towed on a lighter: http://www.willhiggs.co.uk/dundee/towing.htm

And, in the past, I've seen what I'm pretty sure was actual film footage of an aircraft being towed on one of these lighters.

[Tallpine]

Thanks