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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...

'Lusty' has returned home after 32 years of service with decommissioning ceremony to be held later this year Will be replaced by HMS Ocean which has received £65m refit until next generation of aircraft carriers are built Illustrious was rushed into service for the Falklands War, and has served in Bosnia, Sierra Leone and Lebanon Vice Admiral Sir Philip Jones praises her 'long and proud history' and says she has 'protected nation's interests' 685ft-long vessel Illustrious could be turned into floating museum in tribute to decommissioned class of warship Greeted by waving bikini-clad women standing in the water, it was...

The Royal Navy’s sole remaining aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is due to be withdrawn from service in 2014. Image courtesy of LA (Phot) Nicky Wilson/MOD. The Royal Navy’s sole remaining aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is due to be withdrawn from service in 2014 after 32 action-packed years, but her future may be somewhat less glorious. While for the time being Illustrious is still conspicuously active, by the end of the year she could be headed for a new career as a conference centre, hotel, tourist attraction or even promotional yacht. Illustrious was undergoing fitting out when the Falkands War broke...

HMS Illustrious, affectionately known as Lusty, made a proud return to her home port of Portsmouth after receiving a £40million upgrade. The Royal Navy's last fixed-wing aircraft carrier has been converted into a helicopter carrier and is now capable of carrying a force of up to 20 helicopters and 600 personnel. The 22,000-tonne ship was based at the Rosyth dockyard in Fife for 16 months while it underwent modifications. ... Illustrious will take over the role currently fulfilled by HMS Ocean when it goes for a refit. It is due for completion by 2014. A Navy spokesman said: 'This will...

British Government to Scrap Aircraft Carrier 2010-12-16 06:59:44 Xinhua Web Editor: Luo The British government announced on Wednesday that it would scrap an aircraft carrier in 2014. The vessel, HMS Illustrious, will be scrapped as part of cuts in military spending that will total 7.8 percent of the overall budget of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) over the coming four years, Defense Secretary Liam Fox told members of parliament here. The budget cuts in military spending have already seen another aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal, which is Illustrious' sister ship, retired last week, several years earlier than originally planned. Wednesday...

Faulty Fridge Causes Aircraft Carrier To Turn Back Jan 23 2008 Press Association A FAULTY meat fridge is forcing a Royal Navy aircraft carrier to return to base today just two days after setting off for the Indian Ocean. HMS Illustrious departed from Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday to head the multi-national Task Group Orion 08 which will be carrying out exercises and diplomatic visits during the next four months in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean. Navy spokesman Anton Hanney said a refrigeration unit used to store meat on the warship had been found to be in danger of breaking...

A Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor transport from the US Marine Corps' VMX-22 test squadron has made history by performing the type's first landing aboard a non-US vessel, touching down on the UK Royal Navy's strike carrier HMS Illustrious on 10 July.

HMS Illustrious has become the first Royal Navy ship to embark a US Marine Corps Bell/Boeing MV-22 Osprey aircraft onto its deck during a joint exercise in the United States. The landing, which comes ahead of a US-led Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFX) on the Eastern seaboard of the United States, was the first time that an Osprey has embarked in a non-US vessel anywhere in the world. The MV-22 Osprey, the world's first tilt-rotor aircraft, has a unique vertical take-off and landing capability. It is ideally suited to working from the deck of HMS Illustrious, which is currently the...