HMS Ark Royal was a Royal Navy aircraft carrier built in 1938. Designed with an integral hangar and flight deck (a novel design at the time), she played a key role in WWII, participating in operations like the first aerial U-boat kills, the hunt for the Bismarck, and the Malta Convoys. Despite a reputation as a "lucky ship," she was torpedoed by a German U-boat in November 1941 and sank, with one crew member lost. Investigations into her sinking revealed design flaws that were later addressed in other British carriers. Her wreck was discovered in 2002 near Gibraltar.