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HMS ''Unicorn'' was an aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. She was completed during World War II and provided air cover over the amphibious landing at Salerno, Italy in September 1943. The ship was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean at the end of the year. ''Unicorn'' supported the aircraft carriers of the fleet on their operations until the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was formed in November 1944. She was transferred to Australia in early 1945 to support the BPF's operations during Operation ''Iceberg'', the Allied invasion of Okinawa in May. To shorten the time required to replenish the BPF's carriers, the ship was based in the Admiralty Islands and in the Philippine Islands until the Japanese surrender in August. ''Unicorn'' was decommissioned and placed in reserve when she returned to the UK in January 1946. The ship was recommissioned in 1949 to support the light carrier of the Far East Fleet, as the Eastern Fleet had been redesignated after the end of World War II. She was unloading aircraft and equipment in Singapore in June 1950 when the Korean War began. She spent most of the war ferrying aircraft, troops, stores and equipment in support of Commonwealth operations in Korea. ''Unicorn'' supported other carriers during operations in Korea, but she became the only aircraft carrier to conduct a shore bombardment with her guns during wartime when she attacked North Korean observers on the coast during the war.〔Hobbs 2007, pp. 58–59〕 The ship returned to the UK after the end of the war and was again placed in reserve. She was listed for disposal in 1958 and sold for scrap in 1959. ==Design and description== The Abyssinia Crisis of 1934–35 demonstrated to the Admiralty that it needed a depot ship to support the aircraft carriers in active service, just like submarine and destroyer tenders supported those types. Such a ship would be able to perform a wider range of aircraft repair and maintenance tasks than aircraft carriers and on the full range of aircraft operated by the Royal Navy, including amphibians. Admiral Reginald Henderson, Controller of the Navy was instrumental for gaining approval for the ship and ensuring that she had a complete flight deck that would allow her to land, service and launch aircraft on active operations.〔Friedman, p. 172〕 She was the first ship built in any navy that could "carry out the full range of aircraft maintenance and repair work in addition to the ability to operate aircraft from the flight deck".〔Hobbs 2007, p. 41〕 In practice, ''Unicorn'' proved the value of the concept and two similar support ships, and were converted into aircraft maintenance ships by modifying light aircraft carriers still under construction.〔Friedman, pp. 237, 239〕 ''Unicorn'' had an overall length of , a beam of , and a draught of at deep load. She was somewhat overweight as completed and displaced at standard load rather than her designed .〔Lenton, p. 106〕 Each of the ship's two sets of Parsons geared steam turbines drove one propeller.〔Brown 1984, p. 23〕 Steam was supplied by six Admiralty three-drum water-tube boilers operating at a pressure of . The turbines were designed for a total of and gave ''Unicorn'' a speed of .〔 The ship carried of fuel oil which gave her a range of at .〔 In order to land aircraft aboard, ''Unicorn'' was designed with a full-length, -long flight deck with arresting gear. She was also fitted with a catapult capable of launching a aircraft to a speed of .〔Ford, p. 416〕 The ship had two hangars, each high. Aircraft were transported between the hangars and the flight deck by two aircraft lifts (elevators); the forward lift measured and the rear one . ''Unicorn'' could carry about 36 operational aircraft. Bulk petrol storage consisted of .〔Friedman, p. 367〕 During wartime, the ship's crew totaled 1200.〔Chesneau, p. 21〕 The ship carried a self-propelled lighter under the rear of the flight deck to allow unflyable aircraft to be transferred between ships or to shore facilities. This lighter was lowered flush with the upper hangar deck so that an aircraft could be rolled onto to it or an aircraft could be lifted onto it once the lighter was in the water.〔Hobbs, p. 43〕 ''Unicorn'' was armed with four twin mounts for the 45-calibre QF 4-inch Mk XVI dual purpose gun.〔 This mounting could elevate from −10 to +80°. The Mk XVI gun fired about 12 high-explosive shells per minute at a muzzle velocity of . Against surface targets it had a range of and a maximum ceiling of , but an effective anti-aircraft range of much less.〔Campbell, p. 56〕 She was also equipped with four quadruple mounts for the QF 2-pounder Mk VIII gun ("pom-pom").〔 These gun mounts could depress to −10° and elevate to a maximum of +80°. The Mk VIII 2-pounder gun fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of to a distance of . The gun's rate of fire was approximately 96–98 rounds per minute.〔Campbell, pp. 71–74〕 Close-range air defence was provided by twelve 20 mm Oerlikon autocannon, in two twin mounts and eight single ones.〔 The Oerlikon fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of . It had a rate of fire of 465–480 rounds per minute and a maximum range of .〔Campbell, pp. 75–76〕 The ship was equipped with two HACS (High Angle Control System) directors on her island and each "pom-pom" mount had its own director as well.〔 ''Unicorn'' was the first ship to mount a Type 281B early-warning radar,〔Howse, p. 169〕 and each HACS director was fitted with a Type 285 gunnery radar.〔 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 Unicorn (I72)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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