- HMS Perseus (R51)
HMS "Perseus" (R51) was a "Colossus"-class light fleet
aircraft carrier of theRoyal Navy . She was laid down byVickers Armstrong on the Tyne on 1 January 1943, launched on 26 March 1944, and commissioned on 19 October 1945, thus missingWorld War II .As with HMS "Pioneer", the design of "Perseus" was altered during its construction to that of an aircraft maintenance ship. In 1949, "Perseus" served as a trial vessel for one of the most important inventions for all conventional modern aircraft carriers, the steam catapult. Again paralleling "Pioneer", "Perseus" became a ferry carrier in 1953. However, "Perseus" lasted a few years longer in service, undergoing a refit in 1955 before entering reserve in 1957 and being sold for scrap in 1958.
External links
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aircraft_carriers/hms_perseus_d51.htm Maritimequest HMS Perseus photo gallery]
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