Concept/Program: Escort carriers built in the US for Lend-Lease transfer to RN; crewed by the RCN but operated under control of RN.
Departure from Service/Disposal: Returned to USN for disposal postwar.
Outfitted as an ASW carrier. Manned by the Canadian Navy. Torpedoed by U-354 22 Aug 1944 in the Barents Sea with severe damage; arrived at Scapa Flow 27 August 1944 for emergency repairs. Judged not worth repairing, towed to Rosyth, beached and abandoned; decommissioned 30 September 1944 but retained in nominal reserve. Was stripped to support sisterships.
Returned to USN at Rosyth and stricken for disposal 16 March 1946. Sold for scrapping in Holland 3/1947. Resold and converted to merchant Nabob in 1952. Renamed Glory 1968. Scrapped in Taiwan starting 12/1977.
Initially outfitted as a transport carrier by Burrards at Vancouver, Canada, but refitted as a strike/CAP carrier in the UK. Canadian manned. Served mostly as an Atlantic ASW carrier and as a training carrier. Main reduction gears destroyed 27 Nov 1944; replaced by gearing from Nabob.
Used as a troopship immediately postwar. Returned to USN 16 Jan 1946, stricken for disposal 12 March 1946. Sold into merchant service as Muncaster Castle. Renamed Bardic 1954, Ben Nevis 1959. Scrapped in Taiwan starting 6/1973.
Concept/Program: An ex-RN light fleet carrier loaned to Canada immediately postwar, pending completion of Magnificent. She was not winterized and thus was unsuitable for north Atlantic service.
Modifications: No modifications in Canadian service.
Other Notes: Returned to RN upon completion of Magnificent.
Decommissioned and returned to RN 23 March 1948; commissioned 11/1948, primarily as a trials carrier. Fitted for rubberized flight deck trials 1948-1949. Decommissioned to reserve 9/1949 but returned to service 6/1950 as a troop transport to Korea. Refit at Devonport Dockyard 3/1952 to 8 Sept 1953. Major refit 14 Dec 1954 to 21 Aug 1956 included fitting of a minimal angled deck for trials purposes.
Decommissioned 2/1958, offered for sale 3/1958, sold to Argentina 4 July 1958. Renamed Independencia 24 July 1958, transferred 4 November 1958, commissioned 8 July 1959. Assigned designation V1 was not carried. Decommissioned to reserve 1970, having been replaced by ex-HMS Venerable. Sold 17 March 1971 and subsequently scrapped.
Concept/Program: An ex-RN light fleet carrier suspended incomplete at the end of WWII and completed upon sale to Canada. Replaced HMCS Warrior; she operated as a light fleet carrier.
Design: Completed to the original Majestic class design.
Departure from Service/Disposal: Replaced by Bonaventure in 1957 and returned to RN for disposal.
Major refit 12/1951 to 4/1952. Reclassified as a ferry carrier (RML 21) in 1954 but continued regular operations. Last regular flight operations completed 10 Oct 1956, then outfitted as an emergency troopship for deployment to Suez. Decommissioned and returned to RN 14 June 1957; replaced by HMCS Bonaventure. Given designation R36 upon return and immediately placed in reserve.
Stricken for disposal 1961, sold 7/1965 and scrapped at Faslane.
Concept/Program: An ex-RN light fleet carrier, suspended incomplete at the end of WWII, sold to Canada and completed to a modernized design. Originally a sister of Magnificent. Replaced Magnificent; was the major unit of the RCN for over 10 years.
Design: Completed to an extensively modernized design, with an angled deck, modified island, and many other improvements over the original design. May have carried some 40 mm AA very briefly after completion.
Modifications: Major mid-life refit mid-1960's.
Operational: Operated as an ASW carrier after 1961.
Departure from Service/Disposal: Retired without replacement in 1970 and scrapped.
Designation changed to RRSM 22 in 1957, later to CVL 22. Operated as an ASW carrier after 9/1962. Major mid-life refit 3/1966 to 1 September 1967.
Flight operations ended 12/1969; decommissioned 1 July 1970. Sold and scrapped in Taiwan starting 3/1971.
