Airfix H.M.S.Victorious 1/600 Scale Plastic Model Kit

Description

I purchased this model onboard H.M.S. Victorious in 1958 after she commissioned January 1958, I served onboard her from 1957 during her massive refit, prior to commissioning on we lived onboard the Tank Landing Sip H.M.S. Tracker. I opened the model but never completed her. Although I treasure the memories of this model, we are moving to a retirement abode and there is little room for everything, so I am hoping she will find an owner that will finish her. and show her in the glory she deserves.
The last photograph is one of my favourites, I have added the ships crest.
HMS Victorious was a British aircraft carrier the keel was laid down in 1937 and launched in September 1939. She was commissioned into the British Royal Navy in May 1941. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 228 m, width 29.2 m, and full displacement – 28,700 tons. The maximum speed of the aircraft carrier Victorious oscillated around 30-31 knots, and its main armament at the time of launching were 33 on-board aircraft, later this number increased to 56 aircraft.
HMS Victorious was one of four Illustrious-class aircraft carriers. In their construction, it was assumed that they would serve primarily in limited waters such as the Mediterranean or the North Sea and that they would often be attacked from the air. This led to their amazing armour for aircraft carriers, which provided them with very good protection against aerial bombs weighing about 250 kg and artillery shells up to 150 mm. However, good armour forced a single-level hangar, which allowed only 33 aircraft to be taken on board, compared to 70-90 aircraft carriers on Japanese and American aircraft carriers. HMS Victorious's first major combat action was the pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941, ending with the sinking of the Kriegsmarine pride.
From 1941 to 1942, the aircraft carrier served in the North Atlantic and protected convoys heading along the Arctic route to the USSR.
In 1942, she was transferred to the Mediterranean and guarded convoys sailing in the Maltese area from the Italian fleet and aviation.
In November 1942, she was screening the Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria – Operation Torch.
For much of 1943, when the USA lost most of her aircraft carriers, she operated with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, where she was code named USS Robin to fool the Japanese. From December 1943 to February 1944, she was renovated and modernized in Great Britain. In July 1944 she returned to the Far East, where he served with the British Pacific Fleet until the end of the war. In 1945, he took part in the battles for Okinawa suffering but surviving several Kamikazi hits due to her reinforced steel flight deck, The US carriers had wooden flight decks. HMS Victorious underwent a very thorough modernization in the period 1950-1958, upon completion she was the most modern carrier in the world and the first with the fully angled flight deck, steam catapults, mirror landing sight and see over the horizon 984 radar, which allowed her to remain in service until 1968! It was a sad day when the Wilson government consigned her to the scrap yard.