HMS Victorious was a British aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in 1937, launched in September 1939. The ship entered service with the British Royal Navy in May 1941. At the time of launching, the ship was 228 m long, 29.2 m wide, and her displacement was 28,700 tons. The maximum speed of the Victorious aircraft carrier oscillated around 30-31 knots, and its main armament at the time of the launch was 33 on-board planes, later this number increased to 56 aircraft.
HMS Victorious was one of four Illustrious carriers. Their construction was based on the assumption that they would serve primarily in limited waters, such as the Mediterranean or the North Sea, and that they would be frequently attacked from the air. This led to their incredible armor as for aircraft carriers, which provided them with very good protection against aerial bombs weighing about 250 kg and artillery shells up to 150 mm. However, good armor required a single-level hangar, which only allowed 33 aircraft to be taken on board, compared to 70-90 aircraft carried by Japanese and American aircraft carriers. HMS Victorious's first major combat action was the pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941, culminating in the sinking of the Kriegsmarine pride. In the years 1941-1942, the aircraft carrier served in the North Atlantic and protected convoys on the Arctic route to the USSR. In 1942, it was ferry to the Mediterranean Sea and protected convoys in the Malta area by the Italian fleet and air force. In November 1942 he covered the Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria - Operation Torch. For much of 1943 he operated with the US Navy in the Pacific. From December 1943 to February 1944 it was renovated and modernized already in Great Britain. In July 1944 he returned to the Far East, where he served until the end of the war. In 1945 he took part in the battles for Okinawa. HMS Victorious in the period 1950-1957 underwent a thorough modernization, which allowed him to remain in service until 1968!