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INDIVIDUAL SHIP

HMS Courageous

HMS Courageous was a member of the Courageous class.

Courageous classRoyal NavyUnited KingdomWorld War I, Interwar period, and World War IIVerified subject image
HMS COURAGEOUS shortly after completion, in her original configuration as a large cruiser.
HMS COURAGEOUS shortly after completion, in her original configuration as a large cruiser.This photograph SP 1780 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 1900-01) · Public domainImage source
ClassCourageous class
NavyRoyal Navy
CountryUnited Kingdom
Builder / shipyardArmstrong Whitworth, Elswick
Laid down1915-03-28
Launched1916-02-05
Completed1916-10-28
Recorded statusSunk

Overview

HMS Courageous was a member of the Courageous class.

HMS Courageous is associated with United Kingdom and Royal Navy. It belonged to Courageous class, so the class page provides the shared design history while this page concentrates on the individual ship.

Construction and identity

The available construction record identifies HMS Courageous as built by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, laid down on 1915-03-28, launched on 1916-02-05, and completed on 1916-10-28.

The ship's documented identity includes alternate or later names HMS Courageous aircraft carrier and service with Royal Navy.

Service history

Served as a large light cruiser/battlecruiser in the North Sea, then converted to an aircraft carrier in the 1920s.

The ship's configuration should be interpreted through the documented class and the dates attached to this individual vessel; equipment should not be assumed to have remained unchanged throughout service.

Class context: Courageous class

Courageous class was a wartime naval design associated with the 1914–1918 expansion of fleet capabilities.

As a member of Courageous class, HMS Courageous shared the class's documented design framework and intended roles of Fleet combatant, Fast wing, and Naval aviation development. Individual refits, transfers, and wartime changes belong to this ship only when separately documented.

Later service and disposition

torpedoed by U-29. The associated date is 1939-09-17. The recorded location is North Atlantic.

HMS Courageous matters as an individual career within Courageous class, allowing class-wide design history to be separated from this ship's own construction, identities, service, and fate.

This ship is recorded as a member of Courageous class. Shared design history belongs on the class page; this page concentrates on the individual hull where evidence is available.

Sources and further reading

  1. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921Conway Maritime Press
  2. BattlecruisersChatham Publishing
  3. Courageous-class battlecruiser ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-18
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