Editing Courageous-class aircraft carrier (section)

{{Short description|Multi-ship class of aircraft carrier}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Furious+half-sister.jpg
|Ship caption=Aerial view of ''Furious'' (right) and either ''Courageous'' or ''Glorious'' off [[Gibraltar]], early 1930s
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Courageous'' class
|Builders=
|Operators={{navy|United Kingdom}}
|Class before={{HMS|Eagle|1918|6}}
|Class after={{HMS|Ark Royal|91|6}}
|Subclasses={{HMS|Furious|47|6}}
|Cost=
|Built range=1921–1929
|In service range=1925–1945
|Total ships completed=3
|Total ships lost=2
|Total ships scrapped=1
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(''Glorious'' and ''Courageous'' as converted)
|Ship type=[[Aircraft carrier]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|24210|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Normal displacement|normal]])
*{{convert|26990|LT|t|abbr=on}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length=*{{convert|735|ft|1.5|in|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[Length between perpendiculars|p/p]])
*{{convert|786|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[Length overall|o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|90|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (at waterline)
|Ship draught={{convert|27.75|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*18 [[Yarrow boiler]]s
*{{convert|90000|shp|kW|lk=on|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=4 shafts; 4 geared [[steam turbines]]
|Ship speed={{convert|30|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|6630|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=814 + 403 air group (1938)
|Ship armament=16 × single [[QF 4.7 inch Mk VIII naval gun|{{convert|4.7|in|abbr=on}}]] [[anti-aircraft gun|anti-aircraft (AA) guns]]
|Ship armour=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|2|-|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Decks]]: {{convert|0.75|-|1|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]: {{convert|2|-|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Torpedo bulkhead]]s: {{convert|1|-|1.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship aircraft=48
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(''Furious'' as converted)
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|22500|LT|t|lk=on}}
*{{convert|26500|LT|t}}
|Ship length=*{{convert|735|ft|2.25|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (p/p)
*{{convert|786|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (o/a)
|Ship beam={{convert|88|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|27|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|90000|shp|abbr=on|lk=on}}
*18 Yarrow boilers
|Ship propulsion=4 shafts, 4 geared steam turbines
|Ship speed={{convert|30|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range= {{convert|7480|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=738 + 468 air group (1932)
|Ship armament=*10 × single [[BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval gun|{{convert|5.5|in|0|abbr=on}}]] guns
*6 × single [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|{{convert|4|in|0|abbr=on}}]] AA guns
|Ship armour=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|2|-|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Decks]]: {{convert|.75|-|1|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]: {{convert|2|-|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Torpedo bulkhead]]s: {{convert|1|-|1.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship aircraft=36
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The '''''Courageous'' class''', sometimes called the '''''Glorious'' class''', was the first multi-ship class of [[aircraft carrier]]s to serve with the [[Royal Navy]]. The three ships—{{HMS|Furious|47|2}}, {{HMS|Courageous|50|2}} and {{HMS|Glorious||2}}—were originally laid down as [[Courageous-class battlecruiser|''Courageous''-class battlecruiser]]s as part of the [[Baltic Project]] during the [[Naval warfare of World War I|First World War]]. While very fast, their minimal armour and few guns limited their long-term utility in the post-war Royal Navy, and they were [[Reserve Fleet (United Kingdom)|laid up]] after the war. They were considered [[capital ship]]s by the terms of the 1922 [[Washington Naval Treaty]] and were included in the total amount of tonnage allowed to the Royal Navy. Rather than [[ship breaking|scrap]] them, the Navy decided to convert them to aircraft carriers as permitted under the Treaty.

''Furious'', already partially converted during the war, began her reconstruction in 1921, before the Treaty came into effect. In an attempt to minimise air turbulence, she was given no [[superstructure]] or [[Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)#island|island]]. This was not entirely satisfactory, and a small island was added in 1939. Another problem was that she lacked a standard [[funnel (ship)|funnel]]; instead, her [[boiler]] uptakes ran along the sides of the ship and exhausted out of gratings on the rear of the [[flight deck]], or at the sides of the ship if landing operations were in progress. The long ducts reduced her aircraft capacity, and the exhaust gases were as much of a problem for landing aircraft as the turbulence would have been. Her [[sister ship|half-sisters]], ''Courageous'' and ''Glorious'', began their conversions to aircraft carriers as ''Furious'' neared completion. They drew upon the experience gained by the Royal Navy since ''Furious'' had been designed and incorporated an island with a funnel, increasing their aircraft capacity by one-third and making it safer to land.

As the first large carrier completed by the Royal Navy, ''Furious'' was extensively used to evaluate aircraft handling and landing procedures, including the first-ever carrier night landing in 1926. ''Courageous'' became the first warship lost by the Royal Navy in the Second World War when she was [[torpedo]]ed in September 1939 by a German [[U-boat|submarine]]. ''Glorious'' participated in the [[Norwegian campaign]] in 1940, but she was sunk by two German [[battleship]]s in June as she sailed home with a minimal escort. ''Furious'' participated in many major operations during the war, including the Norwegian campaign in 1940, the [[Malta Convoys]] and ''[[Operation Torch]]'' in 1942, and airstrikes on the {{ship|German battleship|Tirpitz}} and other targets in Norway in 1944. The ship was worn out by 1944 and was placed in [[Reserve fleet|reserve]] status in September 1944 before being [[Ship commissioning#Ship decommissioning|paid off]] in 1945 and sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]] in 1948.