HMS
Vindictive was a Training Ship built by Harland & Wolff,
Belfast, laid down 29th June 1916, launched 17th January
1918 and commissioned 1st October 1918 as HMS "Cavendish",
a cruiser. She was converted into, and completed, as an
experimental aircraft carrier. She was therefore re-designed
with a hangar on the forecastle with capacity for six aircraft
which could be hoisted through a hatch to the roof, which
formed a flying-off deck. This was connected by catwalks
to a landing-on deck constructed abaft the funnels, while
buffer nets prevented overruns that could have collided
with the superstructure. The original cruiser armament was
reduced to four 7.5-in guns. She was renamed HMS "Vindictive"
at the end of World War, June 1918, since it was desired
to perpetuate the name of the old Arrogant class cruiser
Vindictive which had distinguished herself in the Zeebrugge
Raid of April 1918 and had been sunk as a blockship at Ostend
in May.
She was decommissioned in 1946. Laid down she was re-designed
and completed as a seaplane carrier, 1.
