HMS Triumph 1947

The Colossus class was developed as a result of a requirement for an intermediate sized-carrier larger than the converted cruisers and C3 cargo ships (commonly known as ‘jeep’ carriers), and the larger fleet carriers. The Colossus class were designed to bridge this gap and were also designed to mercantile standards to allow them to be built in civilian yards. Considered a wartime expedient class with service lives of no more than three years, the Colossus (and later Majestic class, a slightly modified variant) proved to be more versatile for their size than expected. Several served with the Royal Navy after the war ended, but their greatest success was with smaller foreign navies, which purchased these ships after retirement by the RN and modified them for a variety of other purposes, including operating jet aircraft, for which they were modified with angled decks. The last unit of the Colossus class was not retired until 2001, and lasted long enough to be offered on eBay for scrap! The Colossus class is considered one of the most successful aircraft carrier classes ever, behind only the USN’s Nimitz and Essex classes.

TRIUMPH was commissioned in 1946 and served in the Korean War. She was a trials ship for the first angled flight deck and was instrumental in the development of that technology. In 1956 she was converted into a heavy repair ship which altered her appearance, and was based in Singapore. She served until 1975 when she was placed in reserve, and was scrapped in Spain in 1981. This kit represents the ship in 1947 after she got Seafires.