UK Defence Forum

UK Defence Journal reporting that HMS Illustrious is to be sold for scrap after unsuccessful bids to preserve her:

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-ill ... old-scrap/

HMS Illustrious prepares to leave Portsmouth 7th December 2016

^ 'Lusty' - HMS Illustrious (R06)

HMS Illustrious, the last remaining Invincible class carrier, will make her final voyage from Portsmouth to LEYAL Ship Recycling Ltd in Turkey on Wednesday 7th December 2016.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... pyard.html

Goodbye Lusty



Former RN carrier HMS Illustrious made its final exit from Portsmouth this morning.

Pity that at least one of them couldn't be kept. Would have made an amazing visitor attraction.
Tbh i'm quite surprised that another NATO (Poland, Turkey) country or other allied country didn't look to buy them up as an LHA.

Forces TV talks to former officers and crew about HMS Illustrious.

Dahedd wrote:Pity that at least one of them couldn't be kept. Would have made an amazing visitor attraction.
Tbh i'm quite surprised that another NATO (Poland, Turkey) country or other allied country didn't look to buy them up as an LHA.

What's a pity is those that have said "what a pity" haven't reached into their pockets to save & preserve the ship.

The last pieces of Lusty, the last of the Invincible class...

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defenc ... -1-7918349

SKB wrote:

Forces TV talks to former officers and crew about HMS Illustrious.

She still looked good right till the end...

Did any UK firms actually bid for any of the Invincible class scrapping contracts? Always thought it was a shame that if they had to be scrapped then they should be scrapped in UK where they were born and where workers can benefit from the extra work like what happened with Intrepid and Fearless

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... port_u.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... _Royal.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... __002_.pdf

The Turks won’t have the same environmental responsibilities compared to an EU/UK shipyard. IMO.

I would’ve like the class sunk as artificial reefs in U.K. waters for maritime ecology reasons.

Hey-ho.

I think it was with Invincible that a business in Cornwall wanted to sink her as an artificial reef to encourage sealife and create an attraction for divers. Struck me as a really good idea, shame it never got the money from the right investors.. certainly would have been a more noble end to a Falklands vet and all round great ship. When the MoD said that Lusty would be preserved back in 2011 she always struck me as an odd preservation example. She didn’t have quite the same level of association with the Falklands as Invincible and she didn’t have the famed name of the Ark, ideal outcome would have seen one of those two become profitable and sustainable museums which is no easy task. Still maybe in 50 years time the QE class will be replaced by another Ark Royal..

I had forgotton that I had taken this photo last year when QE first arrived in Portsmouth on 16 August 2017. I visited the RN Museum on the same day and discovered HMS Invincible's name plate on a wall - in the museum gift shop! I cannot be 100% certain if it is an original or a reproduction.

SKB wrote:I had forgotton that I had taken this photo last year when QE first arrived in Portsmouth on 16 August 2017. I visited the RN Museum on the same day and discovered HMS Invincible's name plate on a wall - in the museum gift shop! I cannot be 100% that it is an original or a reproduction.

HMS Invincible nameplate 16 August 2017.JPG

I would think that that’s the original if it’s in the RNM, it certainly looks it and seeing as the preivious Invincible still resides under the North Sea I’d say it’s fairly certain it’s from the CVS. At the time of her scrapping former crew were given commemorative pieces made out of her steel and bearing her name.. odd to have your former home handed to you in the shape of a small melted down square bit of metal

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... locks.html

36 years ago today. And still disbelieved by the Argentinians who claim they sunk her....

Obituary - Lieutenant-Commander Doug Taylor RN
(Inventor of the Ski Jump Ramp )

Thanks you for posting this. Many respects to the gentleman. RIP.

(The RR ANWP Network) 31st December 2020

We take a look at the launch, fitting out and sailing for Sea Trials of Aircraft Carrier (Through Deck Cruiser) HMS Invincible from Barrows at the time Vickers. Photographic slides from the Frank Quayle collection