Airfix Vintage Classics - HMS Ark Royal 1:600 HMS Ark Royal (pennant number 91) was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War. Her design differed from previous aircraft carriers. Ark Royal was the first ship on which the hangars and flight deck were an integral part of the hull, instead of an add-on or part of the superstructure. Designed to carry a large number of aircraft, she had two hangar deck levels. Ark Royal served in some of the most active naval theatres of the Second World War. She was involved in the first aerial and U-boat kills of the war, operations off Norway, the search for the German battleship Bismarck, and the Malta Convoys. Ark Royal survived several near misses and gained a reputation as a 'lucky ship'. Launched at the Birkenhead shipyard of Cammel Laird on the 13th April 1937, H.M.S. Ark Royal was involved in the sinking of the German Battleship Bismarck. She was torpedoed on 13 November 1941 by the German submarine U-81 and sank the following day; one of her 1,488 crew members was killed. Her sinking was the subject of several inquiries; investigators were keen to know how the carrier was lost, in spite of efforts to save the ship and tow her to the naval base at Gibraltar. They found that several design flaws contributed to the loss, which were rectified in new British carriers. Mould tools made in 1966 Box illustration by Roy Cross, 1966. These Airfix model ship kits will require paints and glue to complete. Dimensions 11.3 x 4.5 x 45.2 Scale 1:600 Age Suitability 8+ Deluxe Materials Plastic Magic Cement 40ml (AD83) Plastic Magic Cement is a thin, liquid plastic cement with a 10-15 sec adjustment time & non-clog action. It is non-toxic, non-flammable, has minimal odour and almost zero emissions when compared to competitors.