HMS Ark Royal (91), the lead ship of her class, was the third Royal Navy ship named after the flagship that defeated the Spanish Armada. Designed in 1934 to meet Washington Naval Treaty limits, she was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead and completed in November 1938.
Service History
In December 1939 she helped search for the Graf Spee. In spring 1940 she participated in the Norwegian campaign. In July she joined the attack on the French Navy at Mers El Kebir, Algeria, and in September took part in the assault at Dakar.
During March 1941, Ark Royal pursued the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. On 26 May 1941, her torpedo planes hit Bismarck, making the battleship virtually unmaneuverable and allowing other British warships to sink her.
She was also very active in the Mediterranean, striking Genoa and ferrying planes to Malta. On 13 November 1941, Ark Royal was torpedoed by U-81. She capsized and sank on 14 November 1941. Her wreck was located in 2002 in 3,500 feet of water, 30 miles off Gibraltar.