HMS Speaker (D90) was a Ruler-class escort carrier of significant size and capacity, originally built as the USS Delgada (AVG/ACV/CVE-40), a Bogue-class vessel based on a "C3" hull. Launched on 20 February 1943 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, she was transferred to the UK under the Lend-Lease program and commissioned as HMS Speaker on 20 November 1943. The ship measured approximately 492 feet 3 inches (150.0 meters) in length and had a beam of 69 feet 6 inches (21.2 meters), with a draught of 25 feet 6 inches (7.8 meters). Her propulsion system featured a single shaft powered by two boilers and a steam turbine, providing 9,350 shaft horsepower, enabling her to reach speeds of up to 16.5 knots. Designed with substantial aircraft facilities, HMS Speaker had a flight deck equipped with a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side, two aircraft lifts measuring 43 by 34 feet, one catapult, and nine arrestor wires. Her hangar, below the flight deck, was 260 by 62 feet, capable of housing up to 24 aircraft, including fighters like Grumman Martlet, Vought F4U Corsair, Hawker Sea Hurricane, and anti-submarine planes such as Fairey Swordfish and Grumman Avenger. After initial modifications in Vancouver and further adaptations in the UK, HMS Speaker served actively in various theaters during World War II. She operated as a training carrier, ferrying aircraft and supporting fleet operations. Notably, she participated in supporting army operations as an assault aircraft carrier, undergoing further modifications in Dundee. She supported the British Pacific Fleet, providing air cover during Operation Iceberg (the Okinawa invasion), and served as a replenishment carrier, supplying aircraft and aircraft maintenance support. Her service included anti-submarine patrols, fleet escort duties, and transportation of personnel. HMS Speaker’s service concluded in 1946, after which her flight deck was removed, and she was sold into merchant service in 1947, later renamed Lancero and then President Osmena, before being scrapped in Taiwan in 1972. Her career highlights her role as a versatile and substantial escort carrier integral to Allied naval operations during World War II.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.