HMS Ark Royal (91) - Construction

Construction

The deteriorating international situation by 1933, typified by Germany's rearmament and the expansion of Japan and Italy, convinced the British to announce funds for the carrier's construction in the 1934 budget proposals. The plans finalised by November 1934, and were tendered in February 1935 to Cammell Laird and Company, Ltd., which calculated the cost of the hull at £1,496,250 (£77 million as of 2012), and the main machinery at approximately £500,000.(£25.7 million as of 2012), The overall cost was estimated to be over £3 million, making Ark Royal the most expensive ship ordered by the Royal Navy. Construction began on Job No. 1012 when Ark Royal's keel was laid down on 16 September 1935.

Ark Royal spent nearly two years in the builder's yard before being launched on 13 April 1937 by Lady Maud Hoare, wife of Sir Samuel Hoare, then First Lord of the Admiralty. The bottle of champagne thrown against Ark Royal's bows did not smash until the fourth attempt. The carrier spent a year fitting out, was handed over to her first commander, Captain Arthur Power, on 16 November 1938, and was commissioned on 16 December. Although intended for the Far East, events in Europe during the carrier's construction, including the Italian invasion of Abyssinia in 1935 and the Spanish Civil War in 1936, caused the Admiralty to mark her for deployment with the Home and Mediterranean Fleets. After her crew joined at the end of 1938, Ark Royal underwent sea trials to prepare for service, during which the carrier proved capable of sailing above her theoretical speed, reaching over 31 kn (36 mph; 57 km/h) and in trials during May 1938 Ark Royal achieved 31.2 kn (35.9 mph; 57.8 km/h) with 103,012 shp (76,816 kW) at a deep displacement of 27,525 long tons (27,967 t).