HMS Ark Royal (R07)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Ark Royal.

HMS Ark Royal alongside at Portsmouth in 2007
History
United Kingdom
NameArk Royal
NamesakeThe 1587 flagship that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, Ark Royal
OrderedDecember 1978
BuilderSwan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
Laid down14 December 1978
Launched2 June 1981
Sponsored byQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Commissioned1 November 1985
Decommissioned11 March 2011[2][3][4]
Refit
  • First Major 1999–2001
  • Second Major 2004–2007
HomeportHMNB Portsmouth
Identification
MottoZeal Does Not Rest
Nickname(s)The Mighty Ark
Honours and
awards		Al Faw 2003
FateScrapped
BadgeShip's Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeInvincible-class aircraft carrier
Displacement22,000 tons[5]
Length210 m (689.0 ft) (689 ft)
Beam36 m (118.1 ft)
Draught7.5 m (24.6 ft)
Propulsion
Speed28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)+
Range5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement
Armament
Aircraft carried

HMS Ark Royal was a light aircraft carrier and former flagship of the Royal Navy.[7] She was the third and final vessel of the Invincible class. She was built by Swan Hunter on the River Tyne and launched by them in 1981. Ark Royal was christened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She followed sister ships HMS Invincible and HMS Illustrious into service in 1985.

Affectionately known as The Mighty Ark, she is the fifth Royal Navy ship to have borne the name of the 1587 flagship that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588.[8] Originally intended to be named Indomitable[9] to match the rest of the class, this was changed due to the public reaction to the loss of the Ark Royal name after the scrapping of the previous Ark Royal in 1980, after 30 years' service.[10][11]

Slightly larger than her sister ships, and with a steeper ski-jump ramp, Ark Royal carried the STOVL (short take off and vertical landing) Harrier jump jet aircraft, as well as various helicopters. With a crew complement of over 1,000 sailors and aviators, she saw active service in the 1990s Bosnian War and the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

Originally due to be retired in 2016, Ark Royal was instead decommissioned on 11 March 2011, as part of the Navy restructuring portion of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.[12] After Ark Royal's decommissioning, HMS Albion replaced her as the Royal Navy flagship.[13] Ark Royal was sold for scrap to the Turkish company Leyal Ship Recycling and left Portsmouth in May 2013.[14]

  1. ^ "Royal Navy Bridge Card, February 2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  2. ^ "HMS Ark Royal makes her final return to Portsmouth". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 8 December 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ "ark royal342". Solent Shipping News. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Port Visits". SeaWaves. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  5. ^ "Fleet Today". Royal Navy. 2009. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2010. Mirror
  6. ^ The Big Interview: Admiral Sir Alan West
  7. ^ "Profile: Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal". BBC. 18 October 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Might HMS Ark Royal's final farewell". Sunday Sun. ChronicleLive. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 3 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  9. ^ "£150m cruiser contractor from Swan Hunter". Business and Finance. The Times. No. 60310. London. 25 May 1978. p. 21.
  10. ^ "R 07 HMS Ark Royal". seaforces-online. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  11. ^ "HMS Ark Royal R07". Ark Royal. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Final farewell for decommissioned warship HMS Ark Royal". BBC News. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  13. ^ "Plymouth-based HMS Albion becomes Royal Navy flagship". BBC News. BBC. 3 December 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  14. ^ "Ark Royal leaves Portsmouth for scrap yard". BBC News. 20 May 2013. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.