From battlecruiser to aircraft carrier: a ship reborn for two world wars

Wars & Conflicts · Published 16 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: HMS Glorious was born as a lightly armored predator of the North Sea, but her true legacy lies in a radical metamorphosis. By stripping away her heavy guns and building a massive hangar on her deck, she became a pioneer of naval aviation before meeting a tragic end.

Originally commissioned in 1916 as a Courageous-class battlecruiser, HMS Glorious was a product of wartime necessity. To facilitate his 'Baltic Project'—an intended German coastal invasion—Admiral Lord Fisher created a vessel featuring substantial weaponry and slight protection, as naval rules prohibited building ships exceeding light cruiser dimensions. She served as a scout and raider during World War I, notably participating in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1917, where she fired 57 15-inch shells.

The ship underwent a profound transformation following the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Because her hull was large and fast, she was selected for conversion into an aircraft carrier. Between 1924 and 1930, her entire superstructure and guns were removed to make way for a two-storey hangar and a flight deck. This redesign included a unique 'flying-off' lower deck to improve launch cycles and an island on the starboard side to manage navigation without creating excessive turbulence.

By the start of World War II, Glorious was a sophisticated carrier capable of carrying 48 aircraft, including Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. However, her career ended in June 1940 during operations in Norway. More than 1,200 people perished when the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, two German battleships, intercepted and destroyed her in the North Sea during a British plane evacuation.

Her legacy is one of technical adaptation. Her original 15-inch turrets were eventually preserved and reused for the Vanguard, the world's last battleship. Meanwhile, her conversion proved that existing capital ship hulls could be repurposed into the primary strike platforms of modern naval warfare.

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