Another ship question.

[joseyclosey]

I am hopeless at identifying the ships, so can anyone tell me what this carrier is? It was lying off Tynemouth, North Sea on Sunday and i took this long range snap on my Nikon Coolpix. I have been on the Port of Tyne Authority website but can't find any info so i thought i'd ask the ex-matelot's/ship spotters here.

The Royal Navy don't have carriers now? and this has the "ski ramp" which has me baffled as i thought only the FAA and US Marines flew the naval Harrier???

I would have put it in the identify the ship thread but theres still one in there to be identified.

Joe

[Niner Delta]

It is HMS Illustrious.

From Wikipedia - "HMS Illustrious is the second of three Invincible-class light aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and is affectionately known as "Lusty" to her crew. The vessel just missed the Falklands Conflict, but was deployed to Iraq and Bosnia in the 1990s and to Sierra Leone in 2000. An extensive re-fit in 2002 meant that she missed the Iraq War, but she was finished in time to assist British Citizens trapped by the 2006 Lebanon War. She will be replaced by HMS Queen Elizabeth."

The other 2 sister ships have already been decommissioned, so it must be this one.

However, there is a slight chance it is the HMS Ark Royal, which was just decommissioned 3 months ago and is for sale.
But I don't think they would fly the British Navy Ensign on a decommissioned ship.


Vern.

[joseyclosey]

Thanks for the lead Vern, i thought all the RN carriers were going to the knackers yards but it turns out Illustrious has been in for a £40million upgrade at Rossyth to convert it to a helicoptor carrier..........

http://www.commissionerswharf.co.uk/wharf/?p=2020

She was built on the Tyne at Swan Hunters shipyard, Wallsend in 1976 and was commissioned at sea in 1982.

Joe