1/700 Malta Class Bow (Waterline)

The Malta class carriers was a break on the armoured carriers doctrine that the Royal Navy was dedicated to before the start of the Second World War. American experience in the Pacific had shown that a total strike launched at once from the flight deck, required an open hangar design in which the aircraft warmed up prior to be taxied on deck. This did not invalidate the principle that armoured carriers were unnecessary or a faulty concept, only that for a global navy like the Royal Navy was, both types were a necessity to operate in different enviroments.
The final design for the Maltas called for a 273.4 mt long ship, with a breadth of 41 mt at the flight deck, top speed of over 33 kn and range of 7100 nm (13100 km) at 20 kn. The crew would be a massive 3500. Embarked aircraft could be between 80 and 108, some of the largest carriers of the time, on par with the American Midway.
Four ships were ordered in 1943, however by mid-1944 they were put on hold by the Admiralty, and finally cancelled in October 1945. None of them were ever laid down as final drawings were not issued to the shipyards building them.