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| 1937-jan-13 | Ordered |  R38 HMS Victorious | |
| 1937-jan-13 | Ordered | R87 HMS Illustrious | |
| 1937-apr-27 | Laid down | R87 HMS Illustrious Yard no. 732 | |
| 1937-may-4 | Laid down | R38 HMS Victorious Yard No. 11 | |
| 1937-nov-10 | Laid down | R92 HMS Indomitable Yard no. 735 | |
| 1939-sep-5 | Launched | R87 HMS Illustrious | |
| 1939-sep-14 | Launched | R38 HMS Victorious | |
| 1940-mar-26 | Launched | R92 HMS Indomitable | |
| 1940-may-25 | Commissioned | R87 HMS Illustrious joined the Fleet in Sep 1940 | |
| 1940-nov-11 | Deployment | R87 HMS Illustrious launched Swordfish of 815 and 819 NAS in the torpedo attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto, aka Operation Judgement. | |
| 1941-may-15 | Commissioned | R38 HMS Victorious | |
| 1941-oct-10 | Commissioned | R92 HMS Indomitable | |
| 1943-sep-27 | Refit | R38 HMS Victorious at Liverpool Gladstone Dock, until c Feb 1944 | |
| 1945 | | R38 HMS Victorious deck letter P, then S. | |
| 1945-jun-27 | Refit | R87 HMS Illustrious in UK, until Jun 1946 | |
| 1946 | | R38 HMS Victorious deck letter changed to G, until 1958 | |
| 1947 | Refit | R92 HMS Indomitable until 1950 | |
| 1950-oct-23 | Refit | R38 HMS Victorious  air direction radar Type 984 until Dec 1957, major refit and modernisation to include an 8.75° angled flight deck, new radars and lengthened to 240m, two larger centreline lifts and first British carrier to be fitted with Jet Blast Deflectors (JBD), recommissioning on 14 Jan 1958 | |
| 1951-jan-12 | Aircraft | R92 HMS Indomitable first Dragonfly to deploy as SAR Flight, HR.1 VZ965. | |
| 1951-apr | Aircraft | R92 HMS Indomitable Dragonfly HR.1 VZ963 assigned as SAR Flt | |
| 1953-feb-3 | | R92 HMS Indomitable damaged in hangar fire | |
| 1953-apr-24 | Aircraft | R87 HMS Illustrious assigned Dragonfly HR.3 WH991 as SAR flt. Damaged 1 May and returned to Westland for repair. | |
| 1953-may | Aircraft | R87 HMS Illustrious assigned Dragonfly HR.3 WN499 as SAR flt. | |
| 1953-jun-15 | Deployment | R92 HMS Indomitable  Fleet Review: Coronation Review of the Fleet as part of the Home Fleet | |
| 1953-jun-15 | Deployment | R87 HMS Illustrious Fleet Review: Coronation Review of the Fleet as part of the Home Fleet - Plymouth | |
| 1953-jul | Aircraft | R92 HMS Indomitable assigned Dragonfly HR.3 WN500 as SAR Flt by Jul 1953 | |
| 1954-dec | Decommissioned | R87 HMS Illustrious | |
| 1955 | Fate: scrapped | R92 HMS Indomitable | |
| 1956-nov-3 | Fate: scrapped | R87 HMS Illustrious to Faslane, for scrapping | |
| 1957-nov | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious until Jul 1958, 701 Squadron C Flight Dragonfly HR.3 embarked | |
| 1958-feb-5 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious Landing accident to 701 Sq C Flt Whirlwind XJ399, severed tail boom. | |
| 1958-jun-27 | Port Visit | R38 HMS Victorious To Le Havre | |
| 1958-aug | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious until Feb 1959, Whirlwind HAS.7 of 824 Squadron allocated and embarked on 24 Sep alongside at Portsmouth. Deck letter now V | |
| 1958-sep-24 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious Whirlwind HAS.7 of 824 NAS embarked, whilst alongside in HMNB Portsmouth | |
| 1958-sep-27 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious 824 NAS Whirlwind HAS.7 XL848 /336-V ditched off Portland | |
| 1958-oct | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious while Whirlwind HAS.7 engine problems being were rectified, temporarily took on 2 Whirlwind HAR.3 from 848 NAS at Hal Far, as plane guards. | |
| 1958-nov-6 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious Whirlwind HAS.7 XL838/332-V /P of 824 NAS lost off Malta. | |
| 1959-feb | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious 824 NAS Whirlwind HAS.7 grounded again and were transferred in late Feb to HMS Eagle in the Mediterranean, to return to the UK for further rectification | |
| 1959-mar | Refit | R38 HMS Victorious Enhanced maintenance period for 2 months at HMD Portsmouth. | |
| 1959-apr | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious assigned Dragonfly HR.5 WP495/967-V as SAR Flt, until c Dec 1959 | |
| 1959-jun | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious to US east coast for exercises with USN Jul-Aug 1959. | |
| 1960-mar | Refit | R38 HMS Victorious until Aug 1960, at HMD Portsmouth | |
| 1960-aug | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious until Apr 1961, Whirlwind HAS.7 of 825 Squadron assigned and embarked at least 7 airframes on 18 Sep. | |
| 1960-oct-18 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious departed HMNB Portsmouth and embarking 825 NAS Whirlwind HAS.7s, for 2 month Mediterranean work up, returning 19 Dec 1960 | |
| 1960-nov-4 | Port Visit | R38 HMS Victorious to Grand Harbour, Malta until 15 Nov | |
| 1960-nov-25 | Port Visit | R38 HMS Victorious anchored in Bay of Naples, for visit. Departed 29 Nov. | |
| 1960-nov-30 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious joint US-UK exercise in Western Mediterranean, including HMS Ark Royal, HMS Hermes, USS Independence, USS Intrepid and USS Saratoga. | |
| 1960-dec-3 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious exercising in Mediterranean with HMS Ark Royal and HMS Hermes | |
| 1961-jan-20 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious departed HMNB Portsmouth for 11 month Far East deployment, returning 19 Dec 1961 | |
| 1961-feb-1 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious departed Gibraltar for Cape Town, in company with HMS Blackpool (F77) and RFA Tidereach (A96) | |
| 1961-mar | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious relieved HMS Hermes of Far East duty, towards end of the month | |
| 1961-may-8 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious disembarked 825 NAS to Sembawang, and subsequently transferred to HMS Bulwark. | |
| 1961-may-9 | Refit | R38 HMS Victorious Short refit at Singapore, until mid Jun 1961 | |
| 1961-jun-26 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious departed Singapore for Hong Kong. Diverted en route for Persian Gulf. | |
| 1961-jul-9 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious Operation Vantage Ordered off Kuwait from Far East duty on 29 Jun to join HMS Bulwark during a period of international tension and arrived 9 Jul. Relieved by HMS Centaur on 31 Jul. | |
| 1961-sep-2 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious departed Aden for Singapore, in company with HMS Yarmouth, RFA Olna (A216) and RFA Reliant, arriving 15 Sep | |
| 1961-nov-22 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious Mombasa Flood Relief Operations Assigned to assist in Kenyan flood relief | |
| 1961-dec | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious during Dec 1961 Wessex HAS.1 of 815 Squadron embarked | |
| 1962-feb-5 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious departed HMNB Portsmouth for 2 month South Western Approaches and Mediterranean deployment, returning 2 Apr | |
| 1962-apr | Refit | R38 HMS Victorious in HMD Portsmouth for flight deck strengthening and projector landing sight installation, until c May 1963 | |
| 1963-jul | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious until Aug 1963, Wessex HAS.1 of 819 Squadron embarked | |
| 1963-aug | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious until Jun 1967 Wessex HAS.1 of 814 Squadron embarked | |
| 1963-aug-14 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious departed HMNB Portsmouth for 10 month Indian Ocean and Far East deployment, relieving HMS Hermes en route, completing at Singapore on 12 Jun 1964. | |
| 1963-sep-10 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious Embarked 814 NAS lost Wessex HAS.1 XM925/347-V when it ditched in the Gulf of Aden. | |
| 1964-jan-29 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious East African Mutinies with 814 NAS embarked, relieved HMS Centaur off Dar es Salaam. | |
| 1964-may | Port Visit | R38 HMS Victorious port visit as prelude to exercising with USS Kitty Hawk. | |
| 1964-jun | Refit | R38 HMS Victorious refit at King George VI Dock, Singapore until c Aug. | |
| 1964-aug | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious departed Singapore for Far East deployment, returning HMNB Portsmouth summer 1965 | |
| 1965-mar-15 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious Exercise FOTEX 65 Exercising off Singapore in multi-national Naval Force | |
| 1965-oct | Refit | R38 HMS Victorious at HMNB Portsmouth, until spring 1966 | |
| 1966-jul-8 | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious After re-commissioning on 7 Apr and work up, HMS Victorious sailed from HMNB Portsmouth to relieve HMS Eagle as East of Suez Carrier. Wessex of 814 NAS embarked. Arrived Singapore 8 Aug 1966 and eventually departed to UK 4 May 1967, being relieved by HMS Hermes, for Victorious to return to Portsmouth on 20 Jun 1967. | |
| 1966-sep-23 | Port Visit | R38 HMS Victorious Visit to Hong Kong until 4 Oct during East of Suez carrier deployment | |
| 1966-oct-7 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious Embarked 814 NAS lost Wessex HAS.1 XM928/277-V in the sea off the Philippines. | |
| 1966-oct-29 | Port Visit | R38 HMS Victorious Visit to Sydney, Australia until 11 Nov during East of Suez carrier deployment | |
| 1967-feb-21 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious 814 NAS Wessex HAS.1 XP159/270-V damaged near Kuala Lumpur during landing in a clearing. | |
| 1967-may | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious passage from Far East to Aden in support of Civil Power. | |
| 1967-jun | Deployment | R38 HMS Victorious assigned to Western Task Force off Cyprus, guarding interests during Middle East Six Day War | |
| 1967-jun-19 | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious 814 Sq disembarked its Wessex HAS.1, prior to re-equipping with Wessex HAS.3 | |
| 1967-oct | Aircraft | R38 HMS Victorious assigned Wessex HAS.1 XM326 / 266-V as Victorious SAR Flt until c Mar 1968 | |
| 1968-mar-13 | Decommissioned | R38 HMS Victorious | |
| 1969-jul | Fate: scrapped | R38 HMS Victorious scrapped at Faslane | |
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