HMS Glorious was a Courageous-class battlecruiser constructed for the Royal Navy during World War I. Laid down on 1 May 1915 by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, she was launched on 20 April 1916 and completed by 14 October 1916 at a cost of approximately £1.97 million. She measured 786 feet 9 inches (239.8 meters) in length, with a beam of 81 feet (24.7 meters), and a deep load draught of 25 feet 10 inches (7.9 meters). Displacing about 19,180 long tons (19,490 tonnes) at load and up to 22,560 long tons (22,922 tonnes) at deep load, Glorious was among the first large Royal Navy warships fitted with geared steam turbines, powered by eighteen Yarrow boilers, which enabled her to reach speeds of over 31 knots (58 km/h) during trials. Originally designed with minimal armor to fulfill a specific role, she was lightly armed with four 15-inch (381 mm) guns in two twin turrets fore and aft, and complemented by 18 six-inch (102 mm) guns, anti-aircraft guns, and torpedo tubes. Her construction was driven by the First Sea Lord's Baltic Project, emphasizing speed and shallow draft over heavy protection. During WWI, she participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1917 and was present at the German High Seas Fleet's surrender in 1918. Post-war, Glorious was placed in reserve and later converted into an aircraft carrier, completed in 1930. Her conversion included removing her main armament, adding a large two-storey hangar, a flight deck, and an island superstructure. She could carry approximately 34,500 imperial gallons of petrol for her aircraft and was armed with sixteen 4.7-inch (120 mm) dual-purpose guns, along with anti-aircraft weaponry. Her service primarily involved operations in the Mediterranean, including patrols, reconnaissance, and fleet exercises. During WWII, she saw action in the Indian Ocean hunting the German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee and later supported operations in Norway. On 8 June 1940, while evacuating British forces from Norway, Glorious was intercepted by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the North Sea. She was hit multiple times, including a devastating blast that caused a large fire and damage to her flight deck, ultimately leading to her sinking with over 1,200 lives lost. Her loss was a significant event in naval history, remembered through numerous memorials and a model displayed at RNAS Yeovilton.

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