In November of that year, the warship was returned to continue her progression to aircraft carrier. This involved replacement of the aft primary gun turret with another hangar/fly-off deck combination but with better prospects installed for landing on the moving ship. A section of deck now joined the forward and aft decks to better manage the flow of aircraft. However, the unchanged superstructure, coupled with the new and existing deck works, meant that the warship suffered from too much wind-over-deck at-speed which led to enough accidents to restrict onboard landings considerably.
The changes left Furious as something of a mutt for it was now neither a battlecruiser nor was it a true aircraft carrier by definition. Nevertheless, she played an important early role for the British in carrier-based operations involving aircraft. Her first attack by way of aircraft came July 19th, 1918 when Sopwith Camels were launched against Zeppelin shed structures, destroying two as well as a pair of Zeppelins. World War 1 then ended in the Armistice of November 1918.
HMS Furious Reborn
A more complete rebuild project followed in the post-war world, the overhaul occurring from 1921 until 1925 and incorporating lessons learned from two of the Royal Navy's earlier aircraft carriers, HMS Argus and HMS Eagle (both detailed elsewhere on this site). During this major refit period, her superstructure was entirely done away with and replaced by a through-deck running along three-quarters of her length, from aft of the forecastle to the stern. No island superstructure was given (this not added until the 1939 refit and set to include a short mast seating a homing beacon function) but a two-story hangar area was now set under the flight deck and capable of housing some thirty-six aircraft. The operating crew soon grew to become 795 personnel.
Her new form showcased an overall length of 735.2 feet, a beam of 89 feet, and a draught of 27.2 feet. Displacement grew to 22,900 tons under normal loads and 26,900 tons under full loads. The same machinery outputted 90,000 horsepower to 4 x Shafts but her outright speed was reduced some to 30 knots. Range was out to 7,500 nautical miles. The armament scheme now involved 10 x 5.5" guns in single-gunned mountings and 6 x 4" guns in single-gunned mountings - all more or less intended to protect the vessel from aircraft attacks.
World War 2 Service
The reborn HMS Furious was operated throughout the early and middle parts of World War 2 which arrived with the German invasion of Poland in September of 1939. Furious was still in play, despite her age and obvious tactical limitations, and served with both the British Home Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet where she formed a critical component to Royal Navy actions in the early-going - particularly in the Mediterranean Theater (where she was able to commit warplanes to the effort of besieged Malta during 1940 - 1942). Furious also took part in the Norwegian Campaign of 1940, operated as part of the various hunter groups arranged by the Royal Navy, provided support to convoys, and assisted in the Allied landings of North Africa in November 1942 during "Operation Torch". In 1944, her aircraft attacked KMS Tirpitz and this marked her last notable wartime action for, after this, HMS Furious was set in reserve status on September 15th, 1944. Her doomed structure was stress-tested against RAF aerial bombs for a short time before her stripped, beaten, and battered hulk was sold off for scrapping in 1948.
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