HMS Ark Royal R09 (1956, 1978) | 1:1 Scale

Creator notes

Special thanks to Empress_Victoria for the renders featured in this submission. All credits also go to her for the USS Independence (CV-62), and the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) used in the comparison shots. HMS Ark Royal (R09) was an Audacious-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy and, when she was decommissioned in 1979, was the Royal Navy's last remaining conventional catapult and arrested-landing aircraft carrier. She was the first aircraft carrier to be equipped with an angled flight deck at its commissioning; her sister ship, HMS Eagle, was the Royal Navy's first angle-decked aircraft carrier after modification in 1954. Ark Royal was the only non-United States vessel to operate the McDonnell Douglas Phantom at sea. This build is a particularly special one to me, as my great uncle served aboard her from 1965 all the way through to 1978 as a Chief Petty Officer. Both the as-built configuration and the 1978 configuration were particularly enjoyable to build in my opinion, granted they were also rather frustrating at points. I hope you enjoy looking ar her as much as I enjoyed building her! Stay tuned for more submissions to come, including the other editions to QE2 and t