Aircraft Carrier histories. Royal Navy Eagle Class aircraft carriers in which HMS Audacious was renamed HMS Eagle, HMS Irresistible was HMS Ark Royal, HMS Africa was cancelled. Aircraft carrier website dedicated to the history of HMS Eagle, HMS Ark Royal from their launch to their participation in major wars.

HMS Eagle entered service in October 1951 and was a sister ship to HMS Ark Royal. Her most well known role was in the Suez assisting the Anglo-French ground forces.

Displacement: 43, 340 tons (1957), 54,100 tons (1964).     Draught: 33ft.     Compliment: 2500.     Length: 804 ft.    Beam: 135 ft.     Speed: 32 Knots.     Armament: Sixteen 4.5 inch guns in pairs with 40mm Bofors in various arrangements.     Aircraft: 65.

Eagle was broken up at Cairnryan. I served on Eagle during 1971 - 1972 during her last commission and on retiring from the Royal Navy shortly afterwards moved to Northern Ireland and took employment with the Shipbuilder Harland and Wolff, which was where Eagle was built.  So there was a good deal of interest by myself and my shipyard colleagues when Eagle was finally towed to Cairnryan, on the Scottish shore just upposite Larne.  I well remember seeing Eagle at various stages of her dismantling on occasions when travelling between Larne and Stranraer and Cairnryan and thinking what a sad site it is to see a ship being broken up. (This information supplied by Tony Sheppey)

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