History
Name:Hercules
Builder:
  • Vickers-Armstrong
  • Harland and Wolff
Laid down:14 October 1943
Launched:22 September 1945
Commissioned:Never commissioned
Identification:Pennant number: R49
Fate:Laid up, 1947; Sold to India, 1957
Name:Vikrant
Acquired:1957
Commissioned:4 March 1961
Decommissioned:31 January 1997
Homeport:Bombay
Identification:Pennant number: R11
Motto:
  • Sanskrit: Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah
  • English: I completely defeat those who dare to fight with me
Fate:Scrapped, 2014
General characteristics
Class and type:Majestic-class light carrier
Displacement:
  • 16,000 t (15,750 long tons) (standard)
  • 19,500 t (19,200 long tons) (deep load)
Length:700 ft (210 m) (o/a)
Beam:128 ft (39 m)
Draught:24 ft (7.3 m)
Installed power:
  • 40,000 ihp (30,000 kW)
  • 4 Admiralty three-drum boilers
Propulsion:2 shafts; 2 Parsons geared steam turbines
Speed:25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range:
  • 12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
  • 6,200 nmi (11,500 km; 7,100 mi) at 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Complement:1,110
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • 1 × LW-05 air-search radar
  • 1 × ZW-06 surface-search radar
  • 1 × LW-10 tactical radar
  • 1 × Type 963 aircraft-landing radar
Armament:16 × 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns (later reduced to 8)
Aircraft carried:21–23
Aviation facilities:
  • 1961:
  • Catapult Assisted Take-Off
  • 1989:
  • 9.75 degree ski jump