Woking Sea Cadets, Surrey: Royal Navy

The photos used below are a very small selection of the photos that can be viewed on the Royal Navy website http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk, which will give more information about the subject matter on this page. See the 'Useful Websites' page.

There is no assumption at all that young people who join the Sea Cadets necessarily intend to join the Royal Navy afterwards. The summary below is just there for interest's sake.

Aircraft carriers are the largest ships in the fleet. The carriers in service are Invincible, Illustrious and Ark Royal, which was the last carrier to be launched (in 1981). All three have a ship's compliment of 1051.

Destroyers and frigates are the fleet’s 'workhorses'. Destroyers are optimised for air defence, frigates for surface and subsurface warfare. They are equally at home in large task groups or on independent operations, which may include sanctions enforcement, humanitarian relief or anti-drug patrols.

Smaller fighting ships include the world-leading minehunters (or MCMs - mine countermeasures ships). Sophisticated and cheap mines are available all over the world. Neutralising them is a skilled and painstaking business that usually continues long after hostilities have ended.

Offshore patrol vessels play an important role in UK home waters by enforcing fishery laws and providing a reassuring presence around UK oil and gas fields.

Roles of an Aircraft Carrier (CVS)

The Royal Navy's three aircraft carriers (HM Ships Invincible, Illustrious and Ark Royal) with their aircraft offer a very potent form of sea power. Aircraft have mobility, flexibility and versatility, which are the keywords of a modern defence strategy. The CVS and its Carrier Air Group (CAG) can move to almost anywhere in the world in international waters. Aircraft may be the first on the scene in a particular operation giving both politicians and military commanders options, including early reconnaissance, the landing of Special Forces and land attack from the air. Events throughout the 1980s and 90s have demonstrated the high value of the CVS.

The Fleet's Flagship i.e. the ship that carries the commander of a fleet and flies his flag.
Command, air traffic control and extensive communications facilities.
Aircraft maintenance facilities and fuel supply.
Air defence using the Sea Harrier FA2 fighter/attack aircraft, coupled with the Airborne Early Warning Sea King helicopters.
Surface (shipping) attack, battlefield interdiction (land targets) and reconnaissance, again using RAFground attack Harrier GR7s escorted by Sea Harrier FA2s.
Anti-submarine warfare with the Merlin helicopter.
Special Forces operations. A Royal Marine Commando unit can be flown onto and off the carrier by Sea King Mark 4 helicopters. The mix of military aircraft it can carry includes large Chinook support helicopters.

The ‘ski jump’ at the front of the RN's aircraft carriers is a British invention. It helps launch fixed-wing aircraft, such as the harrier, by giving them an upward "push" at the moment of launch, reducing the distance required for take-off §.

Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF)

Following a requirement stated in the Strategic Defence Review for a new larger class of aircraft carrier, as a replacement for the three existing Invincible class ships, the CVF was conceived.

In January 2003, the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced that the Royal Navy's new generation of aircraft carriers will be designed and built by an alliance between the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems/Thales UK.

The two vessels, will be the largest and most powerful surface warships ever built in the UK. The reduction in hull numbers is to be achieved through modern build and support techniques, which will dispense with the need for long refit periods and will allow required availability to be achieved from only two hulls.

CVF will be a Joint Defence Asset, and will focus specifically on Joint Force 2000 enabling operations from forces of all 3 services to contribute to sea, land and air battles. Lessons learnt from the successful build and early operating experience of HMS Ocean will be incorporated in the CVF programme.

The ships will be designed and built entirely in the United Kingdom, with shipyards at Babcock BES at Rosyth in Scotland, BAE Systems on the Clyde, Swan Hunter in the North East and Vosper Thorneycroft at Portsmouth potentially playing key roles, creating or sustaining around 10,000 jobs in the United Kingdom.

'CVF will be the principal platform for the RN/RAF Future Joint Combat Aircraft (FJCA) which will replace RN and RAF Harriers; the FJCA role will be filled by the STOVL (short take off vertical landing) variant of the Lockheed Martin F35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The CVF Carrier Air Group (CAG) will also include the Maritime Airborne Surveillance & Control system to provide sensor coverage against air and surface threats, together with command and control for other air operations. CVF will be capable of supporting the operation of helicopters in a wide variety of roles that could include anti-submarine warfare, attack and support.

In order to maximise the flexibility that CVF can offer over its potential 50-year service life, the carriers will be built to an innovative adaptable design. Although CV-based, the ships will initially be fitted with a ramp for STOVL operations. Post JSF, the design will be capable of modification to operate aircraft requiring a catapult launch and arrested recovery.

Although the final dimensions of CVF have yet to be confirmed, initial indications suggest that the carriers could be the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. Detailed work on the design is ongoing and the size and shape of the ships should be confirmed during 2004.

(Images on this page: © Crown Copyright/MOD. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office)

Royal Navy: SURFACE FLEET

Roles of an Aircraft Carrier (CVS)

Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF)