The only surviving example of the world's first aircraft carrier which measures just 58ft long has been restored. A far cry from the Royal Navy's new 920ft aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, the tiny boat could carry just one plane which was launched by towing it behind another boat into the wind. The simple vessels were used to launch First World War biplanes from the middle of the sea so they could attack German airships before they reached Britain. Fleet Air Arm Musuem curator Dave Morris with the world's first aircraft carrier, which was found rusting on the banks of the Thames . The craft, loaded with a biplane, being towed behind another boat ahead of a launch . A Sopwith Camel plane would be strapped to the deck of the boat and taken out to sea before being towed into the wind at over 20 knots. Crew had to hold the plane back while the pilot got the engine up to speed then release the chocks at the right moment. The pilot had just 58 feet of 'runway' to get the plane airborne or it would plummet into the sea with disastrous consequences. And even if the plane made it into the air, the only way the pilot could land again was by crashing into the sea in the hope of being rescued. The craft were the brainchild of the British Admiralty, who built them in a bid to end the destruction caused by bombs dropped on Britain by German zeppelins. The plane would be launched by the towing vessel steering into the wind and speeding up until there was enough lift to get the plane airbourne . The pilot had just 58 feet of 'runway' to get the plane off the deck or it would plummet into the sea . By launching planes out to sea the zeppelins could be intercepted and shot down before they could unleash their deadly payloads. The only existing example of the . craft, called a seaplane lighter, was discovered rusting on the banks of . the River Thames by a passing naval historian in 1996. It was salvaged by experts at the Fleet Air Arm Museum who have spent 12 years restoring it to its former glory. They now plan to give it pride of place in a new entrance hall at the museum in Yeovil, Somerset, with a restored Sopwith Camel mounted on it. Dave Morris, curator of aircraft at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, said: 'The boat came to us after it was spotted on the banks of the Thames. LENGTH - 57.97 feet  WIDTH - 16 feet . DEPTH - 6.89 feet . WEIGHT - Approximately 30 tons . PROPULSION - None, towed on a line by another boat . NUMBER OF CREW - 11 . TOP SPEED - Around 20 knots when towed . FIRST BUILT - 1918 . AIRCRAFT CAPACITY - One biplane . NUMBER OF DECKS - One, open air . COST TO BUILD - Unknown . LENGTH - 918 feet  WIDTH - 239 feet . DEPTH- 128 feet (waterline) 230 feet (total) WEIGHT - Approximately 70,000 tons . PROPULSION - Two 48,000hp engines, four 12,000hp engines and two 20MW motors . NUMBER OF CREW - 679 . TOP SPEED - Upwards of 25 knots . FIRST BUILT - Sea trials to begin in 2017 . AIRCRAFT CAPACITY - 40 fighter jets . DECKS - 10 including flight-deck . COST TO BUILD - £3.1billion . 'It was actually in remarkable . condition. We have stripped back the Thames Barge paint that covered it . and returned it to its original First World War condition. 'It's incredible to compare it to aircraft carriers of today, but believe it or not this is where it all started.' The deadly effect of the basic craft was displayed on August 10, 1918 when Lieutenant Stuart Culley took off from one for the first time. After completing the daring launch, Lt Culley climbed to 19,000ft before opening fire on zeppelin L53, sending the giant airship down in a ball of flame into the North Sea. The mission was so successful the Germans, petrified of the Brits' new aerial capabilities, stopped all zeppelin attacks on Britain. Lt Culley was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of his bravery during the attack. The vessel's take-off ramp being constructed during the First World War . Mr Morris said: 'It's incredible to compare it to aircraft carriers of today, but believe it or not this is where it all started' The seaplane lighters would be dwarfed by the Navy's new state of the art Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, which are 920ft long and can carry 40 fighter jets. Dave Morris, said: 'It is one of the great World War One pieces still in existence and among just a few original large objects remaining. 'During the war the Admiralty decided they needed to to be able to launch planes from the sea, and came up with the idea of a small craft that could be towed behind a destroyer or frigate. The aircraft carrier would launch Sopwith Camel biplanes, like that pictured above (top) with a German Fokker tri-plane (below) 'Planes had been put on the back of ships before but this was the first ever boat purpose built for launching aircraft from. Fifty were ordered and 35 ended up being built. 'The concept was that the seaplane lighter would be towed out into the middle of the sea with a plane loaded on it. 'It would then be towed at speeds of . up to 20 knots into a headwind of the same strength thereby creating . enough lift for the plane to take off. 'Initially the planes used were . flying boats that could land on water but then on July 21 1918 . Lieutenant Stuart Culley proved it possible to take off using a Sopwith . Camel biplane. 'It was an incredibly dangerous task because the plane had to be airborne by the time it got to the end of the 58ft deck. 'If it wasn't it would fall off the front and then be hit by the lighter, resulting in instant death for the pilot. 'Even if the plane got airborne the pilot had to carry out a daring mission at 17,000ft, all the time exposed to the elements. 'The . big snag was that unless the mission was taking place in sight of land, . the only option was for the pilot to crash land the plane in the sea . close to the flagship and hope he was rescued. 'Three weeks after Lt Culley's test flight he took off on a mission in the North Sea and shot down zepellin L53. 'It . was hugely risky but it gave the British troops a massive advantage . over the Germans and all but ended the threat from zepellins overnight.'
First of its kind First World War aircraft carrier was towed by another boat .
Unlike its huge modern descendants, the ship had just 58 feet of runway .
It was built to launch biplanes to stop German airship raids on Britain .
The plane was towed into the wind before crew pulled away plane's chocks .
The 70-year-old vessel was found on the banks of the Thames by a historian .
It is now going on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Somerset .
The only surviving example of the world's first aircraft carrier which measures just 58ft long has been restored. A far cry from the Royal Navy's new 920ft aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, the tiny boat could carry just one plane which was launched by towing it behind another boat into the wind. The simple vessels were used to launch First World War biplanes from the middle of the sea so they could attack German airships before they reached Britain. Fleet Air Arm Musuem curator Dave Morris with the world's first aircraft carrier, which was found rusting on the banks of the Thames . The craft, loaded with a biplane, being towed behind another boat ahead of a launch . A Sopwith Camel plane would be strapped to the deck of the boat and taken out to sea before being towed into the wind at over 20 knots. Crew had to hold the plane back while the pilot got the engine up to speed then release the chocks at the right moment. The pilot had just 58 feet of 'runway' to get the plane airborne or it would plummet into the sea with disastrous consequences. And even if the plane made it into the air, the only way the pilot could land again was by crashing into the sea in the hope of being rescued. The craft were the brainchild of the British Admiralty, who built them in a bid to end the destruction caused by bombs dropped on Britain by German zeppelins. The plane would be launched by the towing vessel steering into the wind and speeding up until there was enough lift to get the plane airbourne . The pilot had just 58 feet of 'runway' to get the plane off the deck or it would plummet into the sea . By launching planes out to sea the zeppelins could be intercepted and shot down before they could unleash their deadly payloads. The only existing example of the . craft, called a seaplane lighter, was discovered rusting on the banks of . the River Thames by a passing naval historian in 1996. It was salvaged by experts at the Fleet Air Arm Museum who have spent 12 years restoring it to its former glory. They now plan to give it pride of place in a new entrance hall at the museum in Yeovil, Somerset, with a restored Sopwith Camel mounted on it. Dave Morris, curator of aircraft at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, said: 'The boat came to us after it was spotted on the banks of the Thames. LENGTH - 57.97 feet  WIDTH - 16 feet . DEPTH - 6.89 feet . WEIGHT - Approximately 30 tons . PROPULSION - None, towed on a line by another boat . NUMBER OF CREW - 11 . TOP SPEED - Around 20 knots when towed . FIRST BUILT - 1918 . AIRCRAFT CAPACITY - One biplane . NUMBER OF DECKS - One, open air . COST TO BUILD - Unknown . LENGTH - 918 feet WIDTH - 239 feet . DEPTH- 128 feet (waterline) 230 feet (total) WEIGHT - Approximately 70,000 tons . PROPULSION - Two 48,000hp engines, four 12,000hp engines and two 20MW motors . NUMBER OF CREW - 679 . TOP SPEED - Upwards of 25 knots . FIRST BUILT - Sea trials to begin in 2017 . AIRCRAFT CAPACITY - 40 fighter jets . DECKS - 10 including flight-deck . COST TO BUILD - £3.1billion . 'It was actually in remarkable . condition. We have stripped back the Thames Barge paint that covered it . and returned it to its original First World War condition. 'It's incredible to compare it to aircraft carriers of today, but believe it or not this is where it all started.' The deadly effect of the basic craft was displayed on August 10, 1918 when Lieutenant Stuart Culley took off from one for the first time. After completing the daring launch, Lt Culley climbed to 19,000ft before opening fire on zeppelin L53, sending the giant airship down in a ball of flame into the North Sea. The mission was so successful the Germans, petrified of the Brits' new aerial capabilities, stopped all zeppelin attacks on Britain. Lt Culley was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of his bravery during the attack. The vessel's take-off ramp being constructed during the First World War . Mr Morris said: 'It's incredible to compare it to aircraft carriers of today, but believe it or not this is where it all started' The seaplane lighters would be dwarfed by the Navy's new state of the art Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, which are 920ft long and can carry 40 fighter jets. Dave Morris, said: 'It is one of the great World War One pieces still in existence and among just a few original large objects remaining. 'During the war the Admiralty decided they needed to to be able to launch planes from the sea, and came up with the idea of a small craft that could be towed behind a destroyer or frigate. The aircraft carrier would launch Sopwith Camel biplanes, like that pictured above (top) with a German Fokker tri-plane (below) 'Planes had been put on the back of ships before but this was the first ever boat purpose built for launching aircraft from. Fifty were ordered and 35 ended up being built. 'The concept was that the seaplane lighter would be towed out into the middle of the sea with a plane loaded on it. 'It would then be towed at speeds of . up to 20 knots into a headwind of the same strength thereby creating . enough lift for the plane to take off. 'Initially the planes used were . flying boats that could land on water but then on July 21 1918 . Lieutenant Stuart Culley proved it possible to take off using a Sopwith . Camel biplane. 'It was an incredibly dangerous task because the plane had to be airborne by the time it got to the end of the 58ft deck. 'If it wasn't it would fall off the front and then be hit by the lighter, resulting in instant death for the pilot. 'Even if the plane got airborne the pilot had to carry out a daring mission at 17,000ft, all the time exposed to the elements. 'The . big snag was that unless the mission was taking place in sight of land, . the only option was for the pilot to crash land the plane in the sea . close to the flagship and hope he was rescued. 'Three weeks after Lt Culley's test flight he took off on a mission in the North Sea and shot down zepellin L53. 'It . was hugely risky but it gave the British troops a massive advantage . over the Germans and all but ended the threat from zepellins overnight.'
another boat into the wind. The simple vessels were used to launch First World War biplanes from first aircraft carrier, which was found rusting to sea before being towed into the wind at over just 58 feet of 'runway' to get the plane bombs dropped on Britain by German zeppelins. The . The pilot had just 58 feet of 'runway' to get banks of . the River Thames by a passing naval historian in 1996. It was salvaged by experts at Morris, curator of aircraft at the Fleet Air Arm spotted on the banks of the Thames. LENGTH -