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The fourth and last HMS Colossus (R15) had a relatively brief time with the Royal Navy. She was the name-ship of the Colossus-class Light Fleet aircraft carriers, and were basically smaller derivatives of the Illustrious-class carriers. She was launched in 1943 and commissioned in 1944. She served with the British Pacific Fleet from 1945-46, prior to being loaned to France, where she was renamed Arromanches in 1946. While in French service, she participated in the Indochina conflict in 1948 for three months. She returned to France in 1949 and purchased by them in 1951. The following year, she returned once again to Indo-China, this time as a fully fledged French warship. Between 1958-59 she was reconstructed with a 4 degree angled flight deck.

In 1968 she was converted to an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) carrier, operating up to 24 helicopters. She decommissioned in 1974 after a long and faithful career with the French Navy. She was broken up at Toulon in 1978, a place that had been present to the first Colossus in 1793 and the last in 1978.

See HMS Colossus for other ships of the name.

Colossus Class Statistics

• Displacement: 13,400 tons (13,600 t)
• Length: 695 feet (212 m)
• Beam: 80 feet (24 m)
• Draught: 23.5 feet (7.2 m)
• Speed: 25 knots (46 km/h)
• Compliment: 1,300
• Aircraft: 48
• Propulsion: Steam Turbines (4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons geared turbines)