Laid Down: 6th January 1943.
Launched: 6th July 1944.
Completed: 9th February 1946.
Machinery: Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers delivering 40,000 shp to 2-shaft Parsons geared turbines.
Displacement: 13,190 tons standard, 18,040 tons full load.
Dimensions:
Length: 695 feet overall
Beam: 112 feet 6 inches
Draught: 23 feet 5 inches maximum.
Armament: Six quadruple 2 pounder pompoms, sixteen 40mm single Bofors and four single 3 pounder saluting guns.
Performance:
Speed: 25 knots
Endurance: 8,300 miles at 20 knots.
Crew: 1,300.
Flight Deck: 690 feeet by 80 feet, with ten arrester wires rated at 20,000lbs at 60 knots and two barriers. One BH3 twin track catapult with a capacity of 16,000lb at 66 knots.
Hanger: 275 feet long by 52 feet wide by 17 feet and 6 inches high.
Lifts: Two lifts with 15,000 lb capacity, one forward and one aft.
Aircraft: 35 during Korean operations.
Aircraft stores: 98,600 gallons aviation gasoline. 1,000lb MC bombs, 500lb GP bombs, 250lb MC bombs, 250lb B bombs, 3in rockets with 28lb and 60lb warheads. Mk 11 depth charges, aircraft mines, 20mm cannon ammunition, flares and pyrotechnics.
Brief History: HMS Theseus was laid down on 6th January 1943 at Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, at Govan. She was launched on 6th July 1944 and was commissioned in Glasgow on 9th February 1946. She joined the British Pacific Fleet in February 1947 with 804 and 812 NAS embarked.
She was refitted at Rosyth in December 1947 before working up as the flagship of 3 ACS, Home Fleet with 807 and 810 NAS embarked. The first night landing ever made was conducted by a Sea Vampire of 703 NAS on 16th June 1950. On 18th August 1950, HMS Theseus sailed from Portsmouth bound for Korea with 17 CAG of 807 and 813 NAS. On 8th October 1950 she sailed from Sasebo to commence her first patrol in company with HMS Kenya, HMS Constance, HMZNS Sioux and HMS Cayuga. For details of HMS Theseus's time in Korea she HMS Theseus in Korea.
She was relieved by HMS Glory on 23rd April 1951 and sailed for the UK on 25th April 1951. On the 29th she arrived in Portsmouth and was presented with the Boyd trophy by the First Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fraser. She was then allocate to the Home Fleet, moving between the Home Fleet and Mediterranean Fleet before relieved HMS Implacable as flagship of the home Fleet on 19th August 1954.
After hasty modifications she left Portsmouth carrying 16 Independent parachute brigade to Cyprus, during Operation Musketeer she acted as a commando carrier in conjunction with HMS Ocean. For more details, see Assault the Canal.
On 21st December 1956 she returned to Portsmouth and was reduced to extended reserve. In March 1958 approval for the ship to be scrapped was given and she was sold to the British Steel Corp on 29th November 1961 and towed away for scrapping at Inverkeithing.
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