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HMS ''Avenger'' was a Royal Navy escort aircraft carrier during the Second World War. In 1939 she was laid down as the merchant ship ''Rio-Hudson'' at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard in Chester, Pennsylvania. Launched on 27 November 1940, she was converted to an escort carrier and transferred under the lend lease agreement to the Royal Navy. She was commissioned on 2 March 1942. ''Avenger''s capacity allowed for a maximum of 15 aircraft. In September 1942, she took part in what was the largest and most successful Russian convoy to date. Upon her return home, after observing a number of design faults, ''Avenger''s captain drew up recommendations for future escort carrier design. In November 1942 she took part in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, where she suffered engine problems. While leaving North Africa to start the journey home ''Avenger'' was sunk by the on 15 November 1942 at 3:20am GMT, 9 hours after leaving Gibraltar for Britain, with a heavy loss of life among her crew. ==Design and description== The s were converted American merchant ships of the C3 class. Their design was based on the U.S. Navy (AVG1). To differentiate between the two classes, the Royal Navy ships were prefixed with a 'B' (BAVG). HMS ''Avenger'' (BAVG2) was built by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania, south of Philadelphia on the Delaware River. Originally named ''Rio-Hudson'', she was laid down on 28 November 1939 as a passenger cargo ship for the American Moore-McCormack line, and was launched on 27 November 1940. She was then purchased by the United States Navy and converted to an escort aircraft carrier in the Bethlehem Steel yards at Staten Island. Transferred to the Royal Navy on 31 July 1941, she was commissioned 2 March 1942 when the conversion was completed.〔Cocker (2008), p.78.〕〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Ship Building History )〕〔Poolman (1972), p.38.〕 ''Avenger'' had a complement of 555 men (including aircrew) and an overall length of , a beam of , and a height of .〔 She displaced at normal load and at deep load. Propulsion was provided by four diesel engines connected to one shaft, giving 8,500 brake horsepower. This could propel the ship at .〔Cocker (2008), p.79.〕 Aircraft facilities were composed of a small combined bridge-flight control on the starboard side above the long wooden flight deck, one aircraft lift, one aircraft catapult, and nine arrestor wires. Aircraft could be housed in the half hangar below the flight deck.〔Poolman (1972), p.29.〕〔 Her armament consisted of three single-mounted 4 inch dual purpose anti-aircraft guns—two forward and one aft—and fifteen 20 mm cannon on single or twin mounts.〔 She had the capacity for fifteen aircraft, which could be a mixture of Grumman Martlet or Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft and Fairey Swordfish anti-submarine aircraft.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「HMS Avenger (D14)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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