Editing HMS Implacable (R86) (section)

==Design and description==
{{main|Implacable-class aircraft carrier}}
[[File:HMS Implacable (R86).jpg|thumb|left|''Implacable'' at anchor at [[Greenock]] in camouflage, 14 June 1944]]
The ''Implacable'' class had its origin as an improved version of the ''Illustrious''-class aircraft carriers for the 1938 Naval Programme. They were designed to be {{convert|2|kn|lk=in}} faster, and to carry an additional dozen aircraft at the expense of reduced armour protection to remain within the {{convert|23000|LT|t|lk=on}} available from the tonnage allowed by the [[Washington Naval Treaty]].<ref>Friedman, p. 141</ref> ''Implacable'' was {{convert|766|ft|6|in|m|1}} [[length overall|long overall]] and {{convert|730|ft|m|1}} at the [[waterline]]. Her [[beam (nautical)|beam]] was {{convert|95|ft|9|in|m|1}}<ref name=f6>Friedman, p. 366</ref> at the waterline and she had a [[draught (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|29|ft|4|in|m|1}} at [[deep load]]. The ''Implacable''-class ships were significantly overweight and [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|32110|LT|t}} at deep load.<ref name=b9>Brown 1977, p. 49</ref> The ships had [[metacentric height]]s of {{convert|4.06|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} at light load and {{convert|6.91|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} at deep load as completed.<ref>Friedman, p. 151</ref> ''Implacable''{{'}}s complement was approximately 2,300 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]] in 1945.<ref name=h9>Hobbs 2013, p. 109</ref>

The ships were equipped with four [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, each driving one shaft using steam supplied by eight [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s.<ref name=c0>Chesneau 1980, p. 20</ref> The turbines were designed to produce a total of {{convert|148000|shp|kW|lk=on}}, enough to give them a maximum speed of {{convert|32.5|kn}}.<ref name=f7>Friedman, p. 367</ref> On [[sea trial]]s, ''Implacable'' reached speeds of {{convert|31.89|kn}} with {{convert|151200|shp|abbr=on}}. She carried a maximum of {{convert|4690|LT|t}} of [[fuel oil]] which gave her a range of {{convert|6720|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|20|kn}}.<ref name=b9/>

The {{convert|760|ft|m|adj=on|1}} armoured flight deck had a maximum width of {{convert|102|ft|m|1}}.<ref>Friedman, p. 154</ref> A single hydraulic [[aircraft catapult]] was fitted on the forward part of the flight deck. The ''Implacable''-class carriers were equipped with two [[Elevator#Aircraft elevators|lifts]] on the centreline, the forward of which measured {{convert|45|by|33|ft|m|1}} and served only the upper hangar, and the aft lift ({{convert|45|by|22|ft|m|1}}) which served both hangars. The upper hangar was {{convert|458|ft|m|1}} long and the lower hangar was {{convert|208|ft|m|1}} long; both had a maximum width of {{convert|62|ft|m|1}}. Both hangars had a height of only 14 feet which precluded storage of [[Lend-Lease]] [[Vought F4U Corsair]] fighters as well as many post-war aircraft and [[helicopter]]s. Designed to stow 48 aircraft in their hangars, the use of a permanent deck park allowed the ''Implacable'' class to accommodate up to 81 aircraft. The additional crewmen, maintenance personnel and facilities needed to support these aircraft were housed in the lower hangar. The ships were provided with {{convert|94650|impgal|l usgal}} of petrol.<ref>Brown 1977, pp. 48–49; Friedman, p. 144</ref>

===Armament, electronics and protection===
The ship's main armament consisted of sixteen [[quick-firing gun|quick-firing (QF)]] [[QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun|{{convert|4.5|in|mm|adj=on}}]] [[dual-purpose gun]]s in eight twin-[[gun turret]]s, four in [[sponson]]s on each side of the hull. Unlike the ''Illustrious''-class ships, the roofs of the gun turrets were flat and flush with the flight deck. The gun had a maximum range of {{convert|20760|yd|m}}.<ref name=h9/><ref>Campbell, pp. 52, 55</ref> Her light anti-aircraft defences included five octuple mounts for [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder ("pom-pom")]] [[anti-aircraft gun|anti-aircraft (AA) guns]], two on the flight deck forward of the island, one on the aft part of the island and two in sponsons on the port side of the hull. A single quadruple 2-pounder mount was also fitted on the port side of the hull.<ref>Friedman, pp. 144, 367</ref> The 2-pounder gun had a maximum range of {{convert|6800|yd|m}}.<ref>Campbell, p. 71</ref> The ship was also fitted with 61 [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon 20 mm]] [[autocannon]] in 19 single and 21 twin-gun mounts.<ref name=b9/> These guns had a maximum range of {{convert|4800|yd}}, but some were replaced by [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] AA guns when the ships were transferred to the [[Pacific War|Pacific Theater]] as the 20&nbsp;mm shell was unlikely to destroy a [[kamikaze]] before it hit the ship. The [[Bofors]] gun had a maximum range of {{convert|10750|yd|m}}.<ref>Campbell, pp. 67, 75</ref> Two additional quadruple "pom-pom" mounts were added to ''Implacable'' before she joined the British Pacific Fleet in 1945. By the end of the war, she had 4 single Bofors guns, plus 17 twin and 17 single Oerlikon mounts. By April 1946 these had been reduced to 12 Bofors guns, 8 twin and 14 single Oerlikon guns.<ref>Friedman, pp. 149, 154</ref>

They were fitted with the [[Type 277 radar|Type 277]] surface-search/[[Height finder|height-finding]] radar on top of the [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]] and a [[Type 293 radar|Type 293]] target indicator radar on the [[foremast]]. The ships probably{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} carried [[Type 279 radar|Type 279]] and [[Type 281 radar|Type 281]]B [[early-warning radar]]s, based on the radars fitted aboard the ''Illustrious''-class carrier {{HMS|Victorious|R38|2}} late in the war. In addition, [[List of World War II British naval radar#Type 282|Type 282]] and [[Type 285 radar|Type 285]] gunnery radars were mounted on the [[Ship gun fire-control system|fire-control directors]].<ref>Campbell, pp. 15–16, 18–19; Friedman, pp. 144–145, 149, 151; Hobbs 2013, pp. 111, 113</ref>

The ''Implacable''-class ships had a flight deck protected by {{convert|3|in|0|abbr=on}} of armour. The sides of the hangars were either {{convert|1.5|in|abbr=on}} or {{convert|2|in|0|abbr=on}}. The ends of the hangars were protected by 2-inch bulkheads<ref name=h9/> and the armour of the hangar deck ranged from {{convert|1.5|to|2.5|in}} in thickness. The waterline [[Belt armor|armour belt]] was {{convert|4.5|in|mm|0}} thick, but only covered the central portion of the ship. The belt was closed by 1.5 to 2-inch transverse bulkheads fore and aft. The [[torpedo belt|underwater defence system]] was a layered system of liquid- and air-filled compartments as used in the ''Illustrious'' class. The [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s for the 4.5-inch guns lay outside the armoured citadel and were protected by 2 to 3-inch roofs, 4.5-inch sides and 1.5 to 2-inch ends.<ref>Friedman, pp. 134, 139, 142–143</ref>