INDEX OF NAVAL

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

HMS PIONEER

Maintenance and
Replenishment Carrier

Ex HMS Ethalion, Ex HMS Mars

History

Pioneer was built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness, laid down 2 December 1942 as HMS Ethalion, and renamed HMS Mars. She was launched 20 May 1944 and commissioned 8 February 1945 as HMS Pioneer.

HMS Pioneer 1945

Pioneer's wartime service was as a Colossus class maintenance support ship/carrier up until 1953. From February 1945 she was used as a maintenance support ship, and after VJ-Day was also resonsible for ditching obsolete aircraft off the Australian coast. She carried no operational aircraft but had workshops, cranes and guns fitted on her flightdeck.

HMS Pioneer ditching aircraft overboard into the sea near the Australian coast in 1945

Pioneer was stricken in 1954 and broken up at Inverkeithing from September 1954.

Battle Honours
None in World War II
Captains
No information on Captains.
Squadrons and Aircraft
None in WWII
Associations and Reunions
No information

Carrier name HMS Pioneer
Ex HMS Ethalion, and Ex HMS Mars.

Class Colossus

Type Light Fleet Aircraft Carrier

Ships in Class Colossus, Vengeance, Venerable, Pioneer, Glory, Ocean, Perseus, Theseus, Triumph, Warrior

Launched Laid down 2 December 1942. Launched 20 May 1944. Commissioned 8 February 1945

Tonnage Displacement: 13,400 tons standard ; 18,330 tons full load

Engines Propulsion: Steam Turbines (4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines), 40,000 shp.

Speed in Knots Speed: 25 knots

Armament Guns: 24 x 2 pdr AA ; 32 x 20 mm

Crew Complement Compliment: 1300 (including air group)

Range Range: 12,000 nmiles at 14 knots

Length (ft/inches) Dimensions: 630 pp, 650 wl, 695 oa x 80 x 23.5 feet

Beam (ft/inches)

Draught (ft/inches)

Flight Deck length (ft/inches)

Flight Deck width (ft/inches)

Armour

Number of aircraft carried Aircraft: 48

Fate of carrier Stricken 1954. Broken up.

Notes Scaled down version of Illustrious class but with a large aircraft compliment achieved by a lack of armour. Designed for rapid construction in merchant yards to make up for the shortfall in carriers but much more capable than escort carriers. Perseus and Pioneer were completed as maintenance carriers without catapults. After the war various units of the class were sold or reconstructed with angled decks or as helicopter carriers.

FURTHER INFORMATION

HMS Pioneer - Further information by British forces.com

World Aircraft Carrier Lists and Photo Gallery - from 1913 to 2000. Naval History Information Center, Haze Gray & Underway

Sturtivant, R & Ballance, T (1994). 'The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm' Published by Air Britain (Historians) Ltd, 1994 ISBN: 0 85130 223 8
The World’s Warships 1941 by Francis E. McMurtrie (1944). Janes London 1941 1st ed.
Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II by Francis E. McMurtrie (Editor)(1984). 320 pages. Crescent Books; ISBN: 0517679639

Last Modified: 23-2-2001

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Carrier name	HMS Pioneer Ex HMS Ethalion, and Ex HMS Mars.
Class	Colossus
Type	Light Fleet Aircraft Carrier
Ships in Class	Colossus, Vengeance, Venerable, Pioneer, Glory, Ocean, Perseus, Theseus, Triumph, Warrior
Launched	Laid down 2 December 1942. Launched 20 May 1944. Commissioned 8 February 1945
Tonnage	Displacement: 13,400 tons standard ; 18,330 tons full load
Engines	Propulsion: Steam Turbines (4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, Parsons geared turbines), 40,000 shp.
Speed in Knots	Speed: 25 knots
Armament	Guns: 24 x 2 pdr AA ; 32 x 20 mm
Crew Complement	Compliment: 1300 (including air group)
Range	Range: 12,000 nmiles at 14 knots
Length (ft/inches)	Dimensions: 630 pp, 650 wl, 695 oa x 80 x 23.5 feet
Beam (ft/inches)
Draught (ft/inches)
Flight Deck length (ft/inches)
Flight Deck width (ft/inches)
Armour
Number of aircraft carried	Aircraft: 48
Fate of carrier	Stricken 1954. Broken up.
Notes	Scaled down version of Illustrious class but with a large aircraft compliment achieved by a lack of armour. Designed for rapid construction in merchant yards to make up for the shortfall in carriers but much more capable than escort carriers. Perseus and Pioneer were completed as maintenance carriers without catapults. After the war various units of the class were sold or reconstructed with angled decks or as helicopter carriers.