Tag Archives: HMS Illustrious

Brit carriers compared

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Here we see the new and incomplete carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (left), compared to old and retiring flat top HMS Illustrious (right) on July 4, 2014 at the naming ceremony for the vessel. If the QE looks three times the size of the 22,000-ton “Lusty”, that because she is.

The 65,000-ton Queen Elizabeth is planned to commission in early 2017 and will be the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of aircraft carrier, the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy and capable of carrying up to forty (40) aircraft, although the RN only plans to buy as few as 14 F-35 fighters for the ship. When completed she will be the largest and most capable non-U.S carrier afloat with the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov and Chinese half-sister Liaoning being longer overall but marginally lighter in displacement.

Rule Britannia.

An Illustrious return

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HMS Illustrious returns to Portsmouth Harbor on January 10, 2014 in Portsmouth, England. The ship returns with her 650 crew after a five month deployment to South East Asia delivering Aid relief to victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

She is the oldest ship in the Royal Navy’s active fleet and it is envisaged that she will be withdrawn from service in 2014 (after
32 years’ service) and will not be replaced until HMS Queen Elizabeth is commissioned in 2016. The only operational aircraft carrier in the British fleet, she lost her fixed wing air arm when the MoD retired the Harrier fleet in 2006  and now can only operate helicopters. The last of the 1980s era Invincible class of 20,000-ton ‘harrier-carriers’ , it is envisioned that she will be kept as a museum ship when retired later this year.

Her two sister-ships, Invincible and Ark Royal have been sold for scrap.

Looking for a harrier carrier? England is selling their last one

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With the impending retirement of the HMS Illustrious, Britannia’s last ‘harrier carrier’ next year, the vultures are already circling the majestic ship.

According to The Guardian

“The Ministry of Defence’s Disposal Services Authority (DSA) has today launched a competition which will seek innovative re-use bids to retain the ship in the UK, with part or all of it developed for heritage purposes.”

An industry day will be held in January for organisations “able to put forward mature and viable proposals, in keeping with the role and history of the Invincible class of ships”. That would be followed by a “full and open competitive process”, he said.

But Dunne added: “In the event that no suitable re-use bids with a heritage element are submitted, the DSA will open up the competition by seeking proposals for other uses or recycling.”

illustrious

The 689-foot Lusty had served faithfully in the Cold War, Afghanistan, and evacuated civilians when both Sierra Leone and Lebanon went to pot.

Her two sisters, Invincible and Ark Royal, were both sold for scrap after museum prospects fell through. Since the RN sold the last Sea Harriers to the US Marine Corps, she has been helicopter only.

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