British Aircraft Carriers 1939–45With war against Germany looming, Britain pushed forward its carrier programme in the late 1930s. In 1938, the Royal Navy launched the HMS Ark Royal, its first ever purpose built aircraft carrier. This was quickly followed by others, including the highly successful Illustrious class. Smaller and tougher than their American cousins, the British carriers were designed to fight in the tight confines of the North Sea and the Mediterranean. Over the next