HMS Hermes was a conventional British aircraft carrier and the last of the Centaur class.

Hermes was in service with the Royal Navy from 1959 until 1984, and she served as the flagship of the British forces during the 1982 Falklands War.

After being sold to India in 1986, the vessel was recommissioned and remained in service with the Indian Navy as INS Viraatuntil 2017. A crowdfunding campaign failed to preserve the ship as a museum piece.

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Name:	HMS Hermes
Builder:	Vickers-Armstrong
Laid down:	21 June 1944
Launched:	16 February 1953
Commissioned:	25 November 1959
Decommissioned:	1984
Struck:	1985
Homeport:	HMNB Portsmouth
Identification:	pennant number: 61 (1945) R12 (1951) R22 (as Viraat)
Fate:	Sold to India in 1986 and renamed INS Viraat
India
Name:	INS Viraat
Acquired:	May 1987
Decommissioned:	6 March 2017 [1]
Identification:	Pennant number: R22
General characteristics
Class and type:	Centaur-class aircraft carrier
Displacement:	23,000 tonnes standard 2; 28,000 tonnes full load
Length:	198.12 m (650 ft 0 in) p.p. 225.20 m (738 ft 10 in) f.d. (as built) 226.90 m (744 ft 5 in) o.a. (with ski-jump)
Beam:	27.43 m (90 ft 0 in) w.l. 43.90 m (144 ft 0 in) f.d.
Draught:	8.50 m (27 ft 11 in)
Propulsion:	2 Parsons SR geared turbines, 76,000 shp (57 MW) 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Speed:	28 kn (52 km/h)
Range:	7,000 nmi (13,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h)
Complement:	2,100
Armament:	10 × 40 mm Bofors After 1970: 2 × Sea Cat launchers
Aircraft carried:	Up to 1970:12 Sea Vixens, 7 Buccaneers, 5 Gannets and 6 Wessex After 1980: up to 28 Sea Harriersand 9 Westland Sea Kings