Ruler-class escort carrier
 HMS Puncher
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ruler-class |
| Builders | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Attacker class |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Built | 1942–1943 |
| Planned | 23 |
| Completed | 23 |
| Lost | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Escort carrier |
| Displacement | 11,420 long tons (11,600 t) |
| Length | 492 ft 3 in (150.0 m) |
| Beam | 69 ft 6 in (21.2 m) |
| Draught | 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) |
| Installed power | 9,350 shp (6,970 kW) |
| Propulsion | 1 shaft geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 17 kn (20 mph; 31 km/h) |
| Complement | 646 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 24 |
| Aviation facilities |
|
| Notes | Built in two groups of 8 and 15 |
The Ruler-class of escort aircraft carriers served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. All twenty-three ships were built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation in the United States as Bogue-class escort carriers, supplied under Lend-Lease to the United Kingdom.[1] They were the most numerous single class of aircraft carriers in service with the Royal Navy.[2]
As built they were intended for three types of operations, "Assault" or strike, convoy escort, or aircraft ferry.[3]
After the Second World War some of the escort carriers were scrapped, while others had their flight decks removed and were converted to merchant ships (and all eventually scrapped by the 1970s).
Design and description
These ships were all larger and had greater aircraft capacity than all preceding American built escort carriers. They were laid down as escort carriers and were not converted merchant ships.[4] All the ships had a complement of 646 men and an overall length of 492 feet 3 inches (150.0 m), a beam of 69 feet 6 inches (21.2 m) and a draught of 25 ft 6 in (7.8 m).[4] Propulsion was provided by one shaft, two boilers and a steam turbine giving 9,350 shaft horsepower (SHP), which could propel the ship at 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph).[5]
Aircraft facilities were a small combined
Ships
First group
- HMS Patroller
- HMS Puncher (crewed by the Royal Canadian Navy)
- HMS Reaper
- HMS Slinger
- HMS Smiter X
- HMS Speaker XX
- HMS Trouncer
- HMS Trumpeter X
Second group
- HMS Arbiter
- HMS Ameer XX
- HMS Atheling X
- HMS Begum X
- HMS Emperor XX
- HMS Empress
- HMS Khedive X
- HMS Premier X
- HMS Queen X
- HMS Rajah
- HMS Ranee
- HMS Ruler XX
- HMS Shah X
- HMS Thane (torpedoed 15 January 1945, by U-1172 in the Clyde estuary).[6][8]
- X = Fitted for anti-submarine warfare.[4]
- XX = Fitted for strike-operations.[4]
- All the others were mainly used for aircraft transport with an added strike capability.[4]
Notes
- ^ Cocker (2008), p.81
- ^ Cocker (2008), 74–84
- ^ Gordon Smith (ed.), "US-built escort aircraft carriers", Lt Cmdr G Mason - His Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2 and Other Researches, naval-history.net
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Cocker (2008), p.82.
- ^ Cocker (2008), p.79.
- ^ a b Cocker (2008), p.83.
- ^ "HMS Nabob (D 77) (British Escort carrier) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net".
- ^ "HMS Thane (D 83) (British Escort carrier) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net".
- Bibliography
- Cocker, Maurice (2008). Aircraft-Carrying Ships of the Royal Navy. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-4633-2.
