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Arromanches (R 95)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Colossus |
| Namesake: | Colossus |
| Launched: | 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 1944 |
| Career (France) |  |
| Name: | Arromanches |
| Namesake: | Battle of Normandy |
| Acquired: | 1946 |
| Decommissioned: | 1974 |
| Fate: | Broken up |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 13 600 tonnes |
| Length: | 212 metres |
| Beam: | 24 metres |
| Draught: | 7.2 metres |
| Propulsion: | Steam Turbines (4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons geared turbines) |
| Speed: | 25 knots (46 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1,300 |
| Aircraft carried: | 48 |
| Motto: | On The Ball |
The fourth and last HMS Colossus (R15) had a relatively brief time with the Royal Navy. She was the name-ship of the Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carriers, which were basically smaller derivatives of the Illustrious-class carriers. She was launched in 1943 and commissioned in 1944. She served with the British Pacific Fleet 1945-46, prior to being loaned to France.
She was renamed Arromanches in 1946 and lent to the French Navy. While in French service, she participated in the Indochina war in 1948 for three months. She returned to France in 1949 and was purchased by the French 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 was decommissioned in 1974 after a long and faithful career with the French Navy. She was broken up at Toulon in 1978, a place of importance for both the first Colossus in 1793, and the last in 1978.
- List of aircraft carriers
- List of ship commissionings in 1946
- List of ship decommissionings in 1974
- HMS Colossus for other ships of the name.