HMS Implacable

HMS Implacable

History
Name	HMS Implacable (R86)
Owner	Royal Navy
Builder	Fairfield Shipbuilding, Govan, Scotland
Launched	10 Dec 1942
Completed	28 Aug 1944
In service	Sep 1944
Out of service	1 Sep 1954
Fate	sold for scrap 27 Oct 1955
General characteristics
Type	Aircraft carrier
Tonnage	32,630 tons
Length	766 ft 6 in (233.6 m)
Beam	95 ft 9 in (29.2 m)
Depth	Draught 29 ft 4 in (8.9 m) (deep load)
Propulsion	4 screws
Speed	32.5 knots (60.2 km/h)
Capacity	2,300 c rew

Remarks

HMS Implacable was an aircraft carrier (81 aircraft carried) built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Upon completion in 1944, she was initially assigned to the Home Fleet and attacked targets in Norway for the rest of the year. She was subsequently assigned to the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) where she attacked the Japanese naval base at Truk and targets in the Japanese Home Islands in 1945.

The ship was used to repatriate liberated Allied prisoners of war (PoWs) and soldiers after the Japanese surrender, for the rest of the year. Implacable returned home in 1946 and became the Home Fleet's deck-landing training carrier, a role that lasted until 1950. She briefly served as flagship of the Home Fleet in 1950. During this time she participated in many exercises and made a number of port visits in Western Europe.

She was placed in reserve in 1950 and converted into a training ship in 1952, and served as flagship of the Home Fleet Training Squadron. The ship was considered for a major modernisation in 1951–1952, but this was rejected as too expensive and time-consuming. Implacable was decommissioned in 1954 and sold for scrap the following year.

Battle Honours

• Norway 1944
• Japan 1945