Wikipedia

HMSIllustrious(R06)

For other ships with the same name, seeHMS Illustrious.

HMSIllustriouswas alight aircraft carrierof theRoyal Navyand the second of threeInvincible-classships constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was the fifth warship and secondaircraft carrierto bear the nameIllustrious,and was affectionately known to her crew as"Lusty".In 1982, theconflict in the Falklandsnecessitated thatIllustriousbe completed and rushed south to join her sister shipHMSInvincibleand the veteran carrierHMSHermes.To this end, she was brought forward by three months for completion at Swan Hunter Shipyard, then commissioned on 20 June 1982 at sea en route to Portsmouth Dockyard to take on board extra stores and crew. She arrived in the Falklands to relieveInvincibleon 28 August 1982 in a steam past. Returning to the United Kingdom, she was not formally commissioned into the fleet until 20 March 1983. After her South Atlantic deployment, she was deployed onOperation Southern Watchin Iraq, thenOperation Deny Flightin Bosnia during the 1990s andOperation Palliserin Sierra Leone in 2000. An extensive re-fit during 2002 prevented her from involvement in the 2003Iraq War,but she was returned to service in time to assist British citizens trapped by the2006 Lebanon War.

HMSIllustriousin 2012
History
United Kingdom
NameHMSIllustrious
Ordered14 May 1976
BuilderSwan Hunter,Tyne and Wear,United Kingdom
Laid down7 October 1976
Launched1 December 1978
Sponsored byPrincess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Commissioned20 June 1982
Decommissioned28 August 2014
RefitFirst Major 1990s, Second Major 2003–2005, Third Major 2010–2012
HomeportHMNB Portsmouth
Identification
Motto
  • Vox Non Incerta
  • ( "No Uncertain Sound" )
Nickname(s)"Lusty"
FateScrapped[2]
BadgeShip's badge
General characteristics
Class and typeInvincible-classaircraft carrier
Displacement22,000 tonnes[3]
Length210 m (690 ft)[4]
Beam118 ft (36 m)
Draught25 ft (7.6 m)
Propulsion
Speed28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph), 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) cruising
Range5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement
  • 685 crew
  • 366 Fleet Air Arm
Armament
Aircraft carried

Following the retirement of her fixed-wingBritish Aerospace Harrier IIaircraft in 2010,Illustriousoperated as one of two Royal Navyhelicopter carriers.After 32 years' service, the oldest ship in theRoyal Navy's active fleet was formally decommissioned on 28 August 2014 even though she would not be replaced untilHMSQueen Elizabeth's commissioning in 2017. Despite the UKMinistry of Defence's announcement in 2012 that, once decommissioned,Illustriouswould be preserved for the nation, in 2016 she was sold and towed to Turkish companyLeyalfor scrapping.

Construction and commissioning

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Illustrious,the second of the threeInvincible-class aircraft carriers, waslaid downatSwan Hunteron theRiver Tyneon 7 October 1976 andlaunchedbyPrincess Margareton 1 December 1978.[5][6]As the ship neared the end of its fitting out period, the Falklands War broke out. As a consequence, work onIllustriouswas greatly sped up. The war was won beforeIllustriouscould be finished, but she did perform a useful service in the aftermath. Until theRAFairfield on theFalkland Islandswas repaired, air defence of the area was the responsibility of theFleet Air Arm.AfterHermesreturned to the UK,Invincibleremained on station in the South Atlantic until September 1982. To relieveInvincible,the newly completedIllustriouswas rapidly deployed, with809 Naval Air Squadron(Sea Harrier) and814 Naval Air Squadron(Sea King) embarked. Additionally, a pair of Sea Kings from 824 Naval Air Squadron were attached to the air group, which had been converted to operate in theAEWrole.[7]So rapidly wasIllustriousdeployed that she was commissioned while at sea. Rear AdmiralDerek Reffell,Flag Officer, Third Flotilla,commanded the relief task group fromIllustriousduring this period. After the RAF airfield was repaired,Illustriousreturned to the UK for a full shakedown cruise and workup period, and was formally commissioned on 20 March 1983.

Operational history

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1983–1990

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The carrier saw no further action during the remainder of the 1980s, but continued to be a valuable asset for theRoyal Navyin showing the flag and participating in exercises all around the world. During those years, the ship received several enhancements during refits, including a steeperski-jumpto enable the Harriers in the air wing to take-off with a larger payload. During an 'Extended Dockyard Assisted Maintenance Period (EDAMP)', numerous modifications were made to the ship including the removal of herSea Dart missiledefences at a cost of twelve million pounds. This allowed for extra deck space that enables her to carry up to 22 aircraft, including theHarrier GR7.

On 3 April 1986[8]she suffered a catastrophic gearbox failure which almost saw the end of the vessel's naval career. Just starting out on her "fly the flag" around the globe trip, at about 00:30 whilst reaching full engine revs, due to conflicting gearbox tolerances causing friction and heat it ignited the oil vapour within the gearbox which exploded causing a fire lasting well over four hours. Sea Harriers were flown off whilst firefighting continued below decks, and one Sea King took the only casualty ashore (smoke inhalation) Although it was a serious fire it was contained within the forward gearbox room and vertical trunking. Additional vessels including the destroyer HMSNottinghamandFerry Sea Leopardwere in attendance, howeverIllustriouscrew managed to extinguish the fire and she returned to Portsmouth under her own power provided by her aft engine room. Although the ship went to emergency stations at no time was any abandonment considered. There was no loss of life or serious injury, but the trip was put off for several months whilst the ship was taken out of service for extensive repairs. In due course once repairs were completedIllustrioussailed directly to the Far East arriving at Singapore to resume the Eastern end of the Global 86 deployment.

1990–2002

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Illustrious(r) and the AmericanUSSJohn C. Stennisin the Persian Gulf in 1998

During the 1990s, the main task of the aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy was helping to maintain the no-fly zone overBosniaduring the war there. All three of the navy's carriers rotated through the area. In 1998 she operated in the Persian Gulf in support ofOperation Southern Watch,the Anglo-Saudi-American enforcement of the no-fly-zone over Southern Iraq.

In 2000Illustriousled Task Group 342.1, a naval task force comprising HM ships —Ocean,Argyll,Iron Duke,Chatham— and numerousRoyal Fleet Auxiliaryships inOperation Palliser,which was aimed at restoring peace and stability toSierra Leone.

A combat deployment for the ship took place in 2001. A large British exercise,Saif Sareea IItook place inOmanin late 2001. During the exercise, theterrorist attackson theWorld Trade Centertook place.Illustriousremained in theatre while other elements of the task force returned to the United Kingdom.Illustrioushad elements of theRoyal Marineson board, ready for possible combat operations inAfghanistan.[9]No deployment was made beforeIllustriouswas relieved byOceanin early 2002 and returned to Portsmouth after seven months at sea.[10]

2003–2005

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Illustriousundergoing maintenance at Portsmouth during 2005

In mid-2003, the ship underwent a further refit atRosyth Dockyard.This refit involved the total rebuild of theski jump,the adding of better communications and reconfiguring the ship so that it can be more quickly switched between the light aircraft carrier and helicopter carrier roles. The refit should have enable her to carry on until 2014, when it was expected that the first of theQueen Elizabeth-classaircraft carrierswould come into service.[citation needed]Illustriousreturned toPortsmouthfollowing the completion of the refit in December 2004.

She was re-dedicated in 2005, and following the death of the ship's original sponsorPrincess Margaret,her daughterLady Sarah Chattoagreed to attend in a new role as "ship's friend".[11]

2006

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Illustriousalong withHMSGloucesterhelped in the evacuation ofBritish citizens from Beirutas a result of the2006 Israel-Lebanon crisis.Later that year, as part of theRoyal Navy'sRemembrance Dayactivities,Illustrioussailed up theRiver Thameson Friday 10 November 2006. She was moored at Wood Wharf, a few hundred yards upriver from the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, until Wednesday 15 November. Whilst there, the Falklands War commemorative events in 2007 were announced on board her.[12]

2007

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Fixed wing aircraft from the USMC arranged onIllustrious;tenAV-8B Harriersare lined up with, at the rear, anMV-22 Osprey
Illustriousin formation with United States NavyNimitz-class aircraft carriersUSSHarry S. TrumanandUSSDwight D. Eisenhoweron a Joint Task Force Exercise in the Atlantic Ocean, July 2007

Illustriouscarried out two weeks offixed wingflying serials exercises in theNorth Sea20 miles (32 km) offHartlepoolin March 2007, during which sevenGR9 HarriersfromNo. 4 Squadron RAF,Joint Force Harriertouched down on her flight-deck.[13]Also during these exercises, seven of her crew had to be airlifted to hospital inMiddlesbroughon 13 March suffering from fume inhalation and throat and eye irritation after an accident with chemicals in cleaning a junior ratings' toilet area.Illustrioussailed on to Portsmouth, where they rejoined her on leaving hospital.[14] From 25 to 30 May 2007, after an exercise in theBaltic Sea,Illustriouswas the first British aircraft carrier ever to visitTallinn,Estonia.The visit provided rest for the ship's crew after the Baltic exercise, acted as a diplomatic visit, and also involved naval and air exercises with theEstonian Defence Forces.[15]

Next, in July 2007,Illustrioustook part in a US-led Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFX) off the eastern coast of the United States (for which she hosted 14 US Harrier jets and 200 US Marines) before returning to Portsmouth the following month.[16]On 10 July 2007, during the JTFX, aMV-22 Ospreylanded aboardIllustrious,the first time a V-22 had landed on a non-U.S. vessel.[citation needed]

2008

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The carrier set sail from Portsmouth on 21 January 2008 as head of the multi-national Task Group 328.01,[17]under Operation Orion 08, which from January to May 2008 carried out exercises and diplomatic visits to twenty ports in the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East, and south-east Asia. However, on 23 January, whilst still off the coast of southern England, she sailed back to Portsmouth for repairs to a minor fault in a meat freezer. It was felt to be important to repair this before sailing to a warmer climate, and Navy spokesman Anton Hanney stated that flying in an emergency plumber whilst she was underway would be more expensive than turning back whilstIllustriouswas still in the English Channel. She sailed back out at 1pm on 24 January[18]and made up the lost 24 hours.[19][20][21]Her ports of call includedValletta,Malta26–29 February 2008.[22][23]

This 2008 assignment was filmed and shown onChannel 5as the six part TV documentaryWarshiptransmitted on Mondays from 19 May 2008.[24][25]This documentary aimed to show life on board the aging carrier in much the same way thatHMSArk Royalwas shown in the 1976 seriesSailor.Illustriouswas commanded by Captain Steve Chick CBE BSc, who had also commandedHMSChathamduring the 2005 BBC documentaryShipmates.

By the end of July, she had returned toPortsmouthwhereIllustrioustook part in the 2008 navy open-day. On board was a full size model of theF-35 Joint Combat Aircraftwhich will replace theHarriersthen used by the ship.Illustriouswas the only aircraft carrier to be part of the event, although the inactiveInvinciblewas also visible to the public.[citation needed]

On 17 October she, along withHMSCattistock,sailed into Liverpool where she was open to the public on Saturday 18 October. On 4 November she moored atGreenwich,arriving to take central part in the Royal Navy's remembrance week with the F-35 mock-up still on deck.

2009

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AV-22 Ospreylanding on the rear flight deck ofIllustriousin theAtlantic Oceanin 2007

On 7 May 2009 she returned toGreenwichto serve as the centre piece of the Royal Navy's celebration of a century of Britishnaval aviation;on board were examples of all the Navy's operational helicopters.[citation needed]

Beginning on 8 June, she took part in the exerciseLoyal Arrowin northernSweden.The exercise lasted until 16 June. On 17 June 2009, she arrived inTallinn.On 27 June 2009 she was in the harbour ofOslo,Norway.

On 22 October 2009 she arrived atLiverpoolfor a six-day visit and moored at thecruise terminal.There was a fly past along The River Mersey on 23 October as part of its celebrations to mark that year's centenary of naval aviation.Illustriouswas open to members of the public on 25–26 October and departed Liverpool on 27 October 2009.

2010–2016

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Illustrious(at rear) and HMSBulwarknearHarstad,Norway during ExerciseCold Responsein 2012
Illustrioustakes fuel from the French supply tankerSommeduring Exercise COUGAR 13

As part ofStrategic Defence and Security Review,and in addition to the retirement of the Harrier force andIllustrious's sister shipArk Royal,it was announced that a short study would be carried out to determine whetherIllustriousorOceanwas the most viable helicopter platform. The decision was subsequently made to retainOceanfor the longer term. In May 2011Illustriouswas made operational after a £40 million refit,[26]and she was handed back to the fleet after sea trials in late July 2011[27] She took over the helicopter carrier role whileOceanunderwent a planned refit, due for completion by 2014;Illustriouswas then withdrawn from service.[28]The Ministry of Defence also announced on 12 September 2012 thatIllustrious,as the last of theInvincible-class aircraft carriers, would be preserved as a memorial "in recognition of the service given by these ships in protecting the UK over the last 30 years".[29][30]

In March 2012,Illustrioustook part in Exercise 'Cold Response' withBulwark,RFAMounts Bayand other Royal Navy vessels. This was aNATOwinter war games exercise conducted in northernNorway,where she tested her capabilities as a helicopter carrier.[31]Illustriouswas awarded the Bambara Trophy, the trophy is given to a unit each year with the best flight safety record, during 'Cold Response'.[32]Following 'Cold Response' she then took part inExercise 'Joint Warrior'with vessels from Norway, the Netherlands and the United States[33]and Cougar 12 in theMediterranean.[34]In May 2013, as part of the 70th Anniversary of The Battle of the Atlantic Commemorations,Illustrioussailed up the River Thames and was moored at Greenwich where she was used as the venue for a charity reception in aid of the Royal Navy's aviation heritage.

She was deployed as part of Exercise COUGAR 13 during the autumn of 2013[35]along withHMSBulwark,HMSWestminster,HMSMontroseand six RFA vessels.[36]She was diverted away from the COUGAR 13 task group in December 2013 to assist inTyphoon Haiyandisaster relief efforts in the Philippines[37]and eventually returned to Portsmouth on 10 January 2014.

Illustriouswas briefly berthed atRosythin the first week of July 2014, in a dock adjacent toHMSQueen Elizabeth,which was formally named on 4 July 2014;Illustriousleft Rosyth the following day and arrived back at HMNB Portsmouth on 22 July at the end of active service.[38]By then the oldest operational RN warship, she was decommissioned at HMNB Portsmouth on 28 August 2014.[39][40]

The Royal Navy had hoped to preserve the ship, and in August 2014 it was reported thatKingston upon Hulland two other cities had submitted bids for her.[41]However, these bids were judged to be unviable.[2]On 6 May 2016, the MOD's Disposal Authority advertised the potential sale ofIllustriousfor recycling only and three months later the sale to a Turkish scrapyard was confirmed.[2][42]

The former HMSIllustriousleft Portsmouth under tow bound for Turkey on 7 December 2016.[43]

Commanding officers

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Affiliations

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HMSIllustriousescorting the contestants in the2011 Clipper Round the World Yacht Raceto the start line in theSolent.

In media

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In 2010, the ship was featured onChannel 5documentary seriesWarship.The first series was centred onIllustrious,looking at the daily routines and lives of the crew on board and was filmed during one of her exercises with deployments abroad.

Illustriouswas featured in an episode of the television showReal Rooms.[46]She has also featured in theBBCdocumentaryRichard Hammond's Engineering ConnectionswithRichard Hammond.

Citations

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  1. ^"Royal Navy Fleet Bridge Card"(PDF).Royal Navy.February 2009. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 July 2009.Retrieved20 June2009.
  2. ^abc"Former Portsmouth-based aircraft carrier HMSIllustrioussold for scrap ".BBC News.23 August 2016.Retrieved26 August2016.
  3. ^"The Current UK Aircraft Carriers - The Invincible Class".Aircraft Carrier Alliance.Archived fromthe originalon 13 November 2011.
  4. ^"Helicopter Carrier: Invincible Class".Royal Navy.Archived fromthe originalon 18 March 2015.Retrieved12 March2015.
  5. ^Gardiner & Chumbley 1995,p. 501
  6. ^"IllustriousNo. 5: Princess christens new super-cruiser ".Navy News.January 1979. p. 9.Retrieved3 October2018.
  7. ^"Instant Airborne Radar Heads South".New Scientist.Vol. 95, no. 1318. 12 August 1982. p. 428.
  8. ^Hobbs, D. (2013).British Aircraft Carriers.Barnsley:Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-84832-138-0.
  9. ^Graves, David (30 September 2001)."Illustriousto take command in Swift Sword manoeuvres ".The Daily Telegraph.London, UK.Retrieved24 January2008.
  10. ^"HMSIllustriousreturns from Afghanistan ".BBC News.25 March 2002.Retrieved4 January2015.
  11. ^"HMSIllustrious:Lady Sarah Chatto ".Royal Navy.2005. Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2007.Retrieved4 March2019.
  12. ^Norton-Taylor, Richard (14 November 2006)."Falklands war to be remembered over four days".The Guardian.London, UK.Retrieved4 January2015.
  13. ^"Harriers touch down on HMSIllustrious".Ministry of Defence.12 March 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2008.Retrieved24 January2008.
  14. ^"Airlift for carrier sailors overcome by fumes".The Guardian.London, UK.Press Association.16 March 2007.Retrieved4 January2015.
  15. ^"HMSIllustriousin Tallinn ".Foreign and Commonwealth Office.30 May 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 26 February 2008.Retrieved24 January2008.
  16. ^"US Marines embark Harriers onto HMSIllustrious".Ministry of Defence.17 July 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2008.Retrieved24 January2008.
  17. ^Scott, Richard (11 June 2008). "ASW Resurfaces".Jane's Defence Weekly.45(24): 25.
  18. ^"Harbour Watch – Portsmouth Today".The News.
  19. ^Norton-Taylor, Richard (24 January 2008)."Dodgy freezer halts carrier".The Guardian.London, UK.Retrieved4 January2015.
  20. ^"Chill Out! Navy Ship's Fridge Is Wonky".Sky News.23 January 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 4 July 2007.Retrieved24 January2008.
  21. ^"IllustriousLeaves UK for Indian Ocean Deployment ".Royal Navy.21 January 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2008.Retrieved4 March2019.
  22. ^"HMSIllustriousreturns to Malta ".Times of Malta.26 February 2008.Retrieved4 January2015.
  23. ^"HMSIllustriousreties bond with Malta before heading south ".British High CommissionMalta.Archived fromthe originalon 9 June 2008.Retrieved6 January2020.
  24. ^"Warship HMSIllustriousCh5 TV Series – Showing Whole Series Again ".Royal Navy.27 June 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2008.Retrieved4 March2019.
  25. ^"HMSIllustrious:Film Crew On Lusty! ".Royal Navy.2008. Archived fromthe originalon 7 October 2008.Retrieved4 March2019.
  26. ^"Life is breathed back into Lusty".Navy News.23 May 2011.Retrieved4 March2019– via foxnwolf.
  27. ^"She's Back:Illustriousraring to go after 40m refit ".Navy News.2011.[dead link‍]
  28. ^"Changes to Royal Navy's surface fleet announced".Ministry of Defence.15 December 2010.Retrieved4 January2015.
  29. ^"Royal Navy's HMSIllustriousto be preserved ".BBC News.10 September 2012.Retrieved4 January2015.
  30. ^Mr Philip Dunne,Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (10 September 2012)."Invincible Class Carriers".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).House of Commons.col. 1–4.
  31. ^"Sailors and marines prepare to coldly go for Arctic war games".Navy News.16 February 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 19 October 2015.Retrieved4 January2015.
  32. ^"UK: HMSIllustrious'Sets Standard' for Flying at Sea ".Naval Today.9 March 2012.Retrieved4 January2015.
  33. ^Defence Images (24 April 2012)."HMSBulwarkwith RFAMounts Bay,HMSIllustriousand USNSLeeroy Grumman".Flickr.Retrieved4 March2019.
  34. ^"Naval force gears up for Cougar 12".Ministry of Defence.27 September 2012.Retrieved4 January2015.
  35. ^"HMSIllustrioustakes part in operational sea training ".Ministry of Defence.6 November 2013.Retrieved4 January2015.
  36. ^"Royal Navy set for Cougar 13".Ministry of Defence.8 August 2013.Retrieved4 January2015.
  37. ^"British carrier HMSIllustriousto aid typhoon victims ".BBC News.14 November 2013.Retrieved4 January2015.
  38. ^"HMSIllustriousreturns to Portsmouth for final time ".BBC News.21 July 2014.Retrieved4 January2015.
  39. ^"Portsmouth-based HMSIllustriousretires from Navy ".BBC News.28 August 2014.Retrieved4 January2015.
  40. ^"HMSIllustrioustakes final bow ".Royal Navy.28 August 2014.Retrieved28 September2014.
  41. ^Farmer, Ben (28 August 2014)."Competition to give retired HMSIllustriousnew home ".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved4 January2015.
  42. ^"Sale of the former HMSIllustriousaircraft carrier ".UK Ministry of Defence.6 May 2016.Retrieved6 May2016.
  43. ^Ough, Tom (7 December 2016)."HMSIllustrioussets sail to Turkish scrapyard ".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved7 December2016.
  44. ^"Affiliations: HMSIllustrious".Royal Navy.Archived fromthe originalon 19 April 2009.Retrieved14 November2011.
  45. ^"About Us".HMS Illustrious Association.Retrieved4 March2019.
  46. ^"Programme Index".BBC.Retrieved2 January2022.

References

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  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995).Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995.Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-55750-132-7.
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