HMS "Ark Royal" - The British aircraft carrier

HMS "Ark Royal" - a British aircraft carrier of World War II and the third ship of the Royal Navy, to bear this name. "Ark Royal" took an active part in the hunt for the German battleship "Bismarck" - it was "Ark Royal's" aircraft, that damaged "Bismarck's" rudder, making the ship easy prey for British warships. After the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, the maximum total displacement of British aircraft carriers was set at 135,000 tons, while the total displacement of the seven existing aircraft carriers was about 115,000 tons. The Royal Navy was faced with a choice: order two small 10,000-ton aircraft carriers or one 20,000-ton attack aircraft carrier. The latest aircraft carrier of the British fleet, "Hermes", had a displacement of about 10,000 tons, which was clearly not enough, so the Admiralty ordered one heavy aircraft carrier. The project was approved on June 21, 1934. The value of the order amounted to 3 million pounds sterling. "Ark Royal" embodied many new and revolutionary ideas and solutions. The length of the ship's hull was limited by the dimensions of the largest British dry docks in Gibraltar and Malta. The deck of the aircraft carrier was 26 meters longer, than its keel. The island-type superstructure provided good visibility and improved control of the ship. The chimney, located inside the superstructure, did not heat the internal living quarters, which improved living conditions. After sea trials, the chimney was extended by 3 meters, which prevented landing aircraft from falling into the smoke plume. The living conditions of the crew were significantly improved, compared to ships of previous designs. "Ark Royal" took part in many operations of World War II. The air group under its command was the first, to shoot down an enemy aircraft at the outbreak of war. It participated in the Norwegian operation, the hunt for "Bismarck" and transported aircraft to Malta. On November 13, 1941, it was torpedoed by the German submarine "U-81" and sank the next day. One of the survivors of "Ark Royal" was the legendary "Unsinkable Sam", the ship's cat, who survived three shipwrecks in his life.

A large model even for such a scale and quite a complex one, for real "sea wolves". Quite large graphics, like "Maly Modelarz", and quite extensive text instructions will certainly help, when gluing this model, which is suitable only for medium-experienced and experienced modelers. Paper is not of the best quality. There is no reserve of colors. Antiquarian publication.