HMS Illustrious the final surviving warship from the Falklands War is heading for the junkyard

THE DAILY MAIL ^ | 7 May 2016 | ZZY FERRIS

[sukhoi-30mki]

Britain's last working aircraft carrier and the final surviving warship from the Falklands War is heading for the scrapyard.

At least three proposals to preserve HMS Illustrious for alternative uses have failed due to her size and the cost of maintenance.

The ship, decommissioned in 2014, is now likely to follow its sister carriers and be sent to Turkey for scrap.

HMS Ark Royal was scrapped for £2.9 million in 2013 and HMS Invincible fetched around £2 million in 2011.

It is thought the ship, which was rushed in to service for the Falklands War and went on to sail 900,000 miles around the world on deployments, will be sold before the autumn.

The ship was involved in the Bosnian, Iraq and Sierra Leone conflicts and also helped to evacuate Brits during the Lebanon war in 2006.

She was also involved in efforts to distribute relief in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013.

Veterans who sailed on Illustrious viewed her demise as sad but inevitable.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3578289/Sold-scrap-Britain-s-working-aircraft-carrier-HMS-Illustrious-final-surviving-warship-Falklands-War-heading-junkyard.html#ixzz47zg4Y3gg Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[sukhoi-30mki]

The warship, pictured upon her return to Portsmouth for the final time, is the last of the UK's Invincible-class aircraft carriers

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3578289/Sold-scrap-Britain-s-working-aircraft-carrier-HMS-Illustrious-final-surviving-warship-Falklands-War-heading-junkyard.html#ixzz47zgWpklr Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[sukhoi-30mki]

[Parley Baer]

Symbolic as that is the way the whole country is heading.

[Jeff Chandler]

1. When Britain first, at Heaven's command
Arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain:
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

2. The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall;
While thou shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

3. Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke;
As the loud blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

4. Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame:
All their attempts to bend thee down,
Will but arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

5. To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities shall with commerce shine:
All thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

6. The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair; Blest Isle!
With matchless beauty crown'd,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

[catnipman]

The formerly mighty British empire now down to zero aircraft carriers.

[Leaning Right]

The formerly mighty British empire now down to zero aircraft carriers.

And India now has two. Who'da thunk it back in 1945.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

When I worked on an RCCL ship as a musician in 2005, a good number of the safety officers were Brits and they had served in the Falklands war and 2 or 3 of them had been on a ship that was hit by a missile and was sunk. You could see in their body language the gravity of that memory on them. They said the ship lost power and began to list badly then very badly, to the point where you really could not get out unless you had your route memorized and could practically hoist yourself up by whatever you could grab. It obviously scared the crap out of them.

[KarlInOhio]

34 years ago. What percentage of our Navy is 34 or more years old? Imagine going into WW II with ships that were 8 years old at the beginning of WW I.

[DIRTYSECRET]

The Falklands will be given to Argentina with the U.S. as intermediary to save face. 1) Too expensive for GB to maintain. 2) Monroe Doctrine. 3) We can get something out of Argentina. e.g.. Illegal immigrants in our prisons can be transferred there with Argentina manning the ‘prison’.

Last. The 2000 Brits can be given sheep farms anywhere in the world.

[bill1952]

I’m sure that Zimbabwe will welcome them

[Snickering Hound]

No Harriers since 2010, they’ve just been flying helicopters.

[Tallguy]

A small detachment of Euro fighters based on the airstrip would make it too expensive for the Argentines to repeat the invasion. Given that it costs little if anything to base them in the Falklands as opposed to any other RAF base, I would disagree with your contention about the Falklands being “too expensive” to defend.

[Fraxinus]

Imagine going into WW II with ships that were 8 years old at the beginning of WW I.

USS Texas was one of several that served in both wars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esvh9hAP_2E

[rmlew]

Britain has more admirals than ships today. India has a larger navy