<P> The flight deck was 690 feet (210.3 m) long and 80 feet (24.4 m) wide, while the hangar was 445 feet (135.6 m) long and 52 feet (15.8 m) wide with a clear overhead height of 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m). While designed to carry 24 aircraft in 1942, by the time that they became operational, the ships were accommodating 37 aircraft . Ocean was fitted with a close - in anti-aircraft armament of six quadruple and seven single 2 - pounder (40 mm) pom - pom autocannon and twelve single Bofors 40 mm guns . The ship had a crew of 1300 officers and ratings . </P> <P> Ocean was laid down at Alexander Stephen and Sons Glasgow shipyard on 8 November 1942 and was launched on 8 July 1944 . In March 1944, a proposal was made by the Australian government to purchase a light fleet carrier, specifically Ocean . The application was rejected in early June 1945, and the carrier entered Royal Navy service . The ship was commissioned on 8 August 1945 . In total, the ship required 20772 man - months to build . </P> <P> On 4 December 1945, a Sea Vampire flown by Eric "Winkle" Brown made the first ever carrier landing of a purely jet - powered aircraft onto Ocean (although earlier that year a composite jet and piston engined Ryan FR - 1 Fireball had made a carrier landing under jet power after its radial engine failed .) The last Fairey Swordfish to make an official flight from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier did so earlier in October 1945 from the deck of Ocean . When British forces withdrew from Palestine in 1948, Ocean supported the withdrawal . </P> <P> Ocean twice deployed to Korea, firstly from May to October 1952 and then from May to November 1953 . In August 1952 a formation of Hawker Sea Fury aircraft from the carrier engaged North Korean MiG - 15 jets in air combat, shooting one down . </P>

First jet to land on an aircraft carrier