U.K. aircraft carrier up for bids

upi ^ | March. 28, 2011

[JoeProBono]

LONDON, - The British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal can be yours, courtesy of the U.K. Ministry of Defense auction Web site, authorities said.

The former flagship of the Royal Navy was decommissioned two weeks ago years as part of the government's defense budget review after serving with the fleet for 25, the BBC reported.

Interested auction bidders can view Ark Royal at her home port, Portsmouth Naval Base, on May 3 and 4, authorities said.

Bidders wishing to inspect the carrier must submit an outline of their "intentions regarding the vessel" to the Ministry of Defense, the BBC said.

There have been proposals to turn it into a commercial heliport, a base for security personnel during the London Olympics, or a school and nightclub.

Ark Royal's operations have included spearheading British naval forces during the invasion of Iraq.

For those who can't quite manage the purchase of an aircraft carrier, there are also three destroyers -- HMS Exeter, HMS Southampton and HMS Nottingham -- up for auction, the BBC reported.

[JoeProBono]

Deck Decor Not Included

[Tax-chick]

Don’t you think we could use this?

[Sax]

Bidders wishing to inspect the carrier must submit an outline of their "intentions regarding the vessel" to the Ministry of Defense

I want to create the world's largest party barge and tour the Caribbean with 1000 of my closest friends.

[Bean Counter]

I said it before and I’ll say it again...

There are plenty of former military people here at FR to buy this carrier cheap, and go into business as a Mercenary force for good. I volunteer to be Air Boss and will work for 3 hots and a cot...

Lots of former carrier pilots here too, that might know where we could get our hands on some real airplanes....

[K-Stater]

Don’t you think we could use this?

No. We already have 11 carriers and 10 amphibious assault ships larger than Ark Royal is.

[Adder]

I’d like to take it for a spin first...

[Tax-chick]

I meant Darksheare and Bob and Anoreth and me, and the rest of the Undead, not the United States Navy.

[Bean Counter]

You'll like this one Joe...

Circa 1982, ABE-2 (I was 27...) USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) about 3 AM after coming out of catapult #1's water brake tank...



...and I needed a haircut too...

[TexasRepublic]

I’m surprised the Chinese aren’ interested.

[Darksheare]

That’s a good size chunk of mobile real estate.
Could be quite useful.

[Tax-chick]

Room for dragons, and *all* our books!

[Darksheare]

And a museum on the side too!

[Disambiguator]

Love the rotary dial phone in the corner.

[free_life]

When’s Jim’s birthday?

[wxgesr]

I will be the weather guesser!

[wxgesr]

Biggest problem is acquiring all of the metric tools to fix the damnable thing...1200 lb steam plants?

[RexBeach]

What a shame.

Destined to become razor blades, more than likely.

[JoeProBono]

GREAT PIC!!

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"For those who can't quite manage the purchase of an aircraft carrier, there are also three destroyers -- HMS Exeter, HMS Southampton and HMS Nottingham -- up for auction, the BBC reported."

Any frigates for sale? Something I can fit nicely on lake Erie. Seriously, does the U.K. have anymore aircraft carriers in service now? I know they are building two more that should be operable later on this decade but right now do they have anything?

[NavyCanDo]

She pulled into Mayport FL about 1979 or 80, and we partied quite a bit with her British Sailors. We got to tour the ship, and were we jealous. While we Saratoga sailors emptied out our Pop machine before the Cokes had a chance to get cold, Ark Royal sailors had a daily allotment of beer. On the other hand we hated them because the Florida girls fell for their British accents and they were the ones walking out of the bars with the girls.