Ruler-class escort carrier
{{short description|1943 class of escort aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=HMS Puncher.jpg |Ship caption=HMS Puncher }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=Ruler class |Builders=Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation |Operators={{navy|United Kingdom}} |Class before={{sclass|Attacker|escort carrier|4}} |Class after=None |Subclasses= |Cost= |Built range=1942–1943 |In service range= |In commission range= |Total ships building= |Total ships planned=23 |Total ships completed=23 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost=2 |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship type=Escort carrier |Ship displacement={{convert|11420|LT|t|lk=in|abbr=on}} |Ship length={{convert|492|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}} |Ship beam={{convert|69|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}} |Ship draught={{convert|25|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} |Ship power={{convert|9350|shp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}} |Ship propulsion=1 shaft geared steam turbines |Ship speed={{convert|17|kn|lk=in}} |Ship range= |Ship capacity= |Ship complement=646 |Ship sensors= |Ship armament=*2 × 4-inch DP, AA guns in single mounts
|Ship aircraft=24 |Ship aircraft facilities=*Hangar {{convert|260|x|62|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship 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 {{sclass|Bogue|escort carrier|0}} escort carriers, supplied under Lend-Lease to the United Kingdom.Cocker (2008), p. 81. They were the most numerous single class of aircraft carriers in service with the Royal Navy.Cocker (2008), pp. 74–84.
As built they were intended for three types of operations, "Assault" or strike, convoy escort, or aircraft ferry.{{citation |url=http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-00-ClassInfo.htm#uscve |title=US-built escort aircraft carriers |work=Lt Cmdr G Mason - His Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2 and Other Researches |editor=Gordon Smith |publisher=naval-history.net }}
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. All the ships had a complement of 646 men and an overall length of {{convert|492|ft|3|in|1}}, a beam of {{convert|69|ft|6|in|1}} and a draught of {{Convert|25|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}}.Cocker (2008), p.82. Propulsion was provided by one shaft, two boilers and a steam turbine giving {{convert|9350|shp|lk=on}}, which could propel the ship at {{convert|16.5|kn|lk=in}}.Cocker (2008), p. 79.
Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side, two aircraft {{convert|43|by|34|ft|1|adj=on}} lifts, one aircraft catapult and nine arrestor wires. Aircraft could be housed in the {{convert|260|by|62|ft|1|adj=on}} hangar below the flight deck. Armament comprised: two 4"/50 caliber gun dual purpose guns in single mounts, sixteen Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts and twenty Oerlikon 20 mm cannon anti-aircraft cannon in single mounts. They had a maximum capacity for twenty-four carrier-based aircraft which could be a mixture of Grumman Martlet, an American carrier-based fighter aircraft, or Vought F4U Corsair, another type of American carrier-based fighter aircraft, or Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft (a navalised Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft), and Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber, or Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber / anti-submarine aircraft.
Ships
=First group=
- {{HMS|Patroller|D07|6}}
- {{HMS|Puncher|D79|6}} (crewed by the Royal Canadian Navy)
- {{HMS|Reaper|D82|6}}
- {{HMS|Slinger|D26|6}}
- {{HMS|Smiter|D55|6}} X
- {{HMS|Speaker|D90|6}} XX
- {{HMS|Trouncer|D85|6}}
- {{HMS|Trumpeter|D09|6}} X
=Second group=
- {{HMS|Arbiter|D31|6}}
- {{HMS|Ameer|D01|6}} XX
- {{HMS|Atheling|D51|6}} X
- {{HMS|Begum|D38|6}} X
- {{HMS|Emperor|D98|6}} XX
- {{HMS|Empress|D42|6}}
- {{HMS|Khedive|D62|6}} X
- {{HMS|Nabob|D77|6}} X (crewed by the Royal Canadian Navy) (torpedoed 22 August 1944, by U-354 west of the North Cape){{Cite web|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3330.html|title = HMS Nabob (D 77) (British Escort carrier) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net}}
- {{HMS|Premier|D23|6}} X
- {{HMS|Queen|D19|6}} X
- {{HMS|Rajah|D10|6}}
- {{HMS|Ranee|D03|6}}
- {{HMS|Ruler|D72|6}} XX
- {{HMS|Shah|D21|6}} X
- {{HMS|Thane|D48|6}} (torpedoed 15 January 1945, by U-1172 in the Clyde estuary).Cocker (2008), p.83.{{Cite web|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3425.html|title = HMS Thane (D 83) (British Escort carrier) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net}}
:X = Fitted for anti-submarine warfare.
:XX = Fitted for strike-operations.
:All the others were mainly used for aircraft transport with an added strike capability.
Notes
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
{{Commons category|Ameer class escort carriers}}
- {{cite book|last=Cocker|first=Maurice|year=2008|title=Aircraft-Carrying Ships of the Royal Navy|publisher=The History Press|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|isbn=978-0-7524-4633-2}}
{{clear}}
{{WWII British ships}}