HMS Queen (D19) was a British escort aircraft carrier that served during the latter years of World War II. Originally constructed as USS St. Andrews (CVE-49), she was built to the modified C3-S-A1 design by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation in Tacoma, Washington. Laid down on 12 March 1943 and launched on 31 July 1943, she was sponsored by Mrs. Robert W. Morse. The vessel was transferred to the United Kingdom under the Lend-Lease agreement on 7 December 1943 and commissioned into the Royal Navy the same day as HMS Queen. The ship measured approximately 492 feet 3 inches (150.0 meters) in length, with a beam of 69 feet 6 inches (21.2 meters) and a draught of 25 feet 6 inches (7.8 meters). Her propulsion system consisted of a steam turbine powered by two boilers connected to a single shaft, generating 9,350 brake horsepower, which allowed her to reach a maximum speed of 16.5 knots. The vessel's aircraft facilities included a small combined bridge and flight control on the starboard side, two aircraft lifts measuring 43 by 34 feet, one catapult, and nine arrestor wires. Her hangar space below the flight deck measured 260 by 62 feet, accommodating a maximum of twenty-four aircraft, which could include fighters such as Hawker Sea Hurricanes or Vought F4U Corsairs, and anti-submarine aircraft like Fairey Swordfish or Grumman Avengers. HMS Queen played a vital role in the Atlantic, escorting convoys in 1944, and participated in Pacific campaigns in 1945. Notably, her aircraft from 853 Squadron participated in Operation Judgment, the last air raid of the European war, targeting Kilbotn, Norway, on 4 May 1945. After hostilities ended, she was converted into a troop carrier to repatriate British forces from the Far East. She was returned to the U.S. Navy at Norfolk, Virginia, on 31 October 1946, and subsequently decommissioned. The vessel was sold into merchant service, renamed Roebiah, and later President Marcos and Lucky One before being scrapped in Taiwan in 1972. Her design, larger than previous escort carriers, and her capacity to carry a significant number of aircraft made her an important asset during the war, exemplifying the versatile role of escort carriers in Allied maritime operations.

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