1/48 Royal Navy Skyhawk FG.1 

by Nick Walton

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Silly Week 2006

 

Following the cancellation of HMS Queen Elizabeth (CVA-01) in February 1966 the RN looked at options to stay in the fixed-wing game. Eagle was to be refitted, and would serve alongside Ark Royal into the 70s, and future V/STOL designs were already being studied. A study was made to examine the feasibility of purchasing 2-4 ex-USN Essex class carriers, but this was ruled out.

This changed following the 1968 Hong Kong crisis, when Britain realized that it would be in the national interest to maintain a viable carrier fleet. In February 1970, four years to the day from the cancellation of CVA-01, the contract was signed to purchase the Essex-class carriers USS Oriskany and USS Shangri-La. These two boats were the most modernized of the Essex carriers, and following refit to RN standard the first ship delivered, the Shangri-La entered service with the Royal Navy in August 1973 as HMS Invincible, to be followed in June 1974 by her sister ship HMS Illustrious.

As the new carriers were too small to accommodate the Phantoms now flying from HMS Eagle and Ark Royal, so the air wings of the Invincible class would be made up of Sea Jaguar FR.3s for fleet defense and reconnaisance, Skyhawk FG.1s for attack, Gannett AEW.3s for AEW, and Sea Kings for SAR/planeguard duties.

In peacetime the air wings of the two carriers comprised 10 Sea Jaguars, 12 Skyhawks, 2 Gannets, and 5 Sea Kings. In wartime this could increase to 34 fast jets (in the 1982 Falklands war Invincible carried 16 Sea Jaguars, and 18 Skyhawks), and up to 8 helicopters.

This rennaisance for RN carrier operations was followed by the refitting of Eagle and Ark Royal for continued operations into the 1990s (when they were replaced by the carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and Duke Of Edinburgh), as well as the construction of three strike carriers of 22,000 tons each to operate the new Sea Harrier FRS.1 aircraft. It was two of these carriers (Colossus and Albion) that made such an impact in the Falklands war as they were able to operate their Harriers in the harsh South Atlantic weather that made operation impossible from Invincible for much of the war.

When the Commando carriers Hermes and Bulwark were retired in the early 1980s they were replaced by the LPHs Ocean and Magnificent. This gave the Royal Navy of the 1990s a capable and respected carrier force of two fleet carriers (QE & DoE), two escort carriers (Invincible and Illustrious), three strike carriers (Colossus, Albion, and Centaur) and two helicopter carriers (Ocean and Magnificent).

This large carrier fleet has helped Britain in conflicts from Kosovo to Iraq, and has acted as a deterrent in times of tension across the globe.

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This is the Hobbycraft A-4C "Falklands War" kit with some additions.  The avionics hump in the kit (but not used on the "B" was added and a few bits and bobs were grafted onto the nose to represent an LRMTS and IR tracker.  The left gun was removed and a ventilation scoop added under the fuselage in its place.  The right gun was replaced with an Aden cannon mounted in a semi-external pod similar to the Israeli DEFA installation (scratchbuilt from part of a 1/48 refueling probe and a 1/72 T-38 tip tank).  An air scoop was also added on the left fuselage for the new engine.

The Matra rocket pods came from an Academy Hunter F.6 kit and the decals are from the Airfix 1/48 Sea Harrier FRS.1.  I prefer the look of Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky better than over white, so a retro-scheme for the Queen's Silver Jubilee was born. 

Nick 

Click on images below to see larger images

Photos and text © by Nick Walton