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HMS ''Illustrious'' was a
light aircraft carrier A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one- ...
of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
and the second of three ships constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was the fifth warship and second
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
to bear the name ''Illustrious'', and was affectionately known to her crew as ''"Lusty"''. In 1982, the conflict in the Falklands necessitated that ''Illustrious'' be completed and rushed south to join her sister ship and the veteran carrier . 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 relieve ''Invincible'' on 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 on
Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
in Iraq, then
Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mis ...
in Bosnia during the 1990s and
Operation Palliser The United Kingdom began a military intervention in Sierra Leone on 7 May 2000 under the codename Operation Palliser. Although small numbers of British personnel had been deployed previously, Palliser was the first large-scale intervention by B ...
in Sierra Leone in 2000. An extensive re-fit during 2002 prevented her from involvement in the 2003
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, but she was repaired in time to assist British citizens trapped by the
2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...
. Following the retirement of her fixed-wing
British Aerospace Harrier II The British Aerospace Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft used previously by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and, between 2006 and 2010, the Royal Navy (RN). The aircraft was the latest develop ...
aircraft in 2010, ''Illustrious'' operated as one of two Royal Navy
helicopter carrier A helicopter carrier is a type of aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters, and has a large flight deck that occupies a substantial part of the deck, which can extend the full length of the ship like of the Royal Navy ...
s. After 32 years' service, the oldest ship in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
's active fleet was formally decommissioned on 28 August 2014 even though she would not be replaced until 's commissioning in 2017. Despite the UK
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
's announcement in 2012 that, once decommissioned, ''Illustrious'' would be preserved for the nation, in 2016 she was sold and towed to Turkish company Leyal for scrapping.


Construction and commissioning

''Illustrious'', the second of the three ''Invincible''-class aircraft carriers, was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...
at
Swan Hunter Swan Hunter, formerly known as Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, is a shipbuilding design, engineering, and management company, based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. At its apex, the company represented the combined forces of three powe ...
on the
River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wat ...
on 7 October 1976 and launched by
Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth  ...
on 1 December 1978. As the ship neared the end of its fitting out period, the Falklands War broke out. As a consequence, work on ''Illustrious'' was greatly sped up. The war was won before ''Illustrious'' could be finished, but she did perform a useful service in the aftermath. Until the RAF airfield on the
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
was repaired, air defence of the area was the responsibility of the
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...
. After ''Hermes'' returned to the UK, ''Invincible'' remained on station in the South Atlantic until September 1982. To relieve ''Invincible'', the newly completed ''Illustrious'' was rapidly deployed, with
809 Naval Air Squadron 809 Naval Air Squadron (809 NAS) is a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom. It was first formed in 1941 and flew in the Soviet Union, the Mediterranean and the Far East during the Second World War. After active service during the Su ...
(Sea Harrier) and
814 Naval Air Squadron 814 Naval Air Squadron or 814 NAS, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It is currently equipped with the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 anti-submarine warfare helicopter and is based at Royal Naval Air Stati ...
(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 the AEW role. So rapidly was ''Illustrious'' deployed that she was commissioned while at sea. Rear Admiral
Derek Reffell Admiral Sir Derek Roy Reffell, (born 6 October 1928) is a former Royal Navy officer and Governor of Gibraltar. Naval career Educated at Culford School, Reffell entered the Royal Navy, qualified as a Navigating Officer in 1954 and progressed thr ...
,
Flag Officer, Third Flotilla The Flag Officer, Third Flotilla was the senior Royal Navy appointment in command of the Third Flotilla from 1979 to 1992. The Western Fleet and Far East Fleet were merged into the single Commander-in-Chief Fleet in 1971. He had three new seago ...
, commanded the relief task group from ''Illustrious'' during this period. After the RAF airfield was repaired, ''Illustrious'' returned to the UK for a full shakedown cruise and workup period, and was formally commissioned on 20 March 1983.


Operational history


1983–1990

The carrier saw no further action during the remainder of the 1980s, but continued to be a valuable asset for the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
in showing the flag and participating in exercises all around the world. During those years, the ship received several enhancements during refits, including a steeper
ski-jump Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...
to 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 her
Sea Dart missile Sea Dart, or GWS.30 was a Royal Navy surface-to-air missile system designed in the 1960s and entering service in 1973. It was fitted to the Type 42 destroyers (United Kingdom and Argentina), Type 82 destroyer and s of the Royal Navy. Originally ...
defences at a cost of twelve million pounds. This allowed for extra deck space that enables her to carry up to 22 aircraft, including the
Harrier GR7 The British Aerospace Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft used previously by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and, between 2006 and 2010, the Royal Navy (RN). The aircraft was the latest developm ...
. On 3 April 1986 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 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 HMS ''Nottingham'' and ''Ferry Sea Leopard'' were in attendance, however ''Illustrious'' crew 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 completed ''Illustrious'' sailed directly to the Far East arriving at Singapore to resume the Eastern end of the Global 86 deployment.


1990–2002

During the 1990s, the main task of the aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy was helping to maintain the no-fly zone over
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...
during the war there. All three of the navy's carriers rotated through the area. In 1998 she operated in the Persian Gulf in support of
Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
, the Anglo-Saudi-American enforcement of the no-fly-zone over Southern Iraq. In 2000 ''Illustrious'' led Task Group 342.1, a naval task force comprising HM ships — , , , — and numerous
Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...
ships in
Operation Palliser The United Kingdom began a military intervention in Sierra Leone on 7 May 2000 under the codename Operation Palliser. Although small numbers of British personnel had been deployed previously, Palliser was the first large-scale intervention by B ...
, which was aimed at restoring peace and stability to
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
. A combat deployment for the ship took place in 2001. A large British exercise,
Saif Sareea II Exercise Saif Sareea ( ar, سيف سريع ) is a series of military exercises undertaken by the United Kingdom and Oman which first began in 1986 and most recently took place in 2018. Saif Sareea 1 Exercise Saif Sareea 1 was the first exercise h ...
took place in
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
in late 2001. During the exercise, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center took place. ''Illustrious'' remained in theatre while other elements of the task force returned to the United Kingdom. ''Illustrious'' had elements of the
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry and also one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighti ...
on board, ready for possible combat operations in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
. No deployment was made before ''Illustrious'' was relieved by ''Ocean'' in early 2002 and returned to Portsmouth after seven months at sea.


2003–2005

In mid-2003, the ship underwent a further refit at
Rosyth Dockyard Rosyth Dockyard is a large naval dockyard on the Firth of Forth at Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, owned by Babcock Marine, which formerly undertook refitting of Royal Navy surface vessels and submarines. Before its privatisation in the 1990s it was ...
. This refit involved the total rebuild of the
ski jump Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...
, 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 the s would come into service. ''Illustrious'' returned to
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...
following the completion of the refit in December 2004. She was re-dedicated in 2005, and following the death of the ship's original sponsor
Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth  ...
, her daughter
Lady Sarah Chatto Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones; born 1 May 1964) is the only daughter of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. She and her brother, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, are the onl ...
agreed to attend in a new role as "ship's friend".


2006

''Illustrious'' along with helped in the evacuation of British citizens from Beirut as a result of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon crisis. Later that year, as part of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
's
Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in ...
activities, ''Illustrious'' sailed up the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
on 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.


2007

''Illustrious'' carried out two weeks of fixed wing flying serials exercises in the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...
off
Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County D ...
in March 2007, during which seven GR9 Harriers from
No. 4 Squadron RAF No. 4 Squadron, normally written as IV Squadron, of the Royal Air Force operates the BAE Hawk T2 in the training role from RAF Valley. History Formation and First World War IV Squadron formed at Farnborough in 1912 as part of the Royal Fly ...
, Joint Force Harrier touched down on her flight-deck. Also during these exercises, seven of her crew had to be airlifted to hospital in
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the ...
on 13 March suffering from fume inhalation and throat and eye irritation after an accident with chemicals in cleaning a junior ratings' toilet area. ''Illustrious'' sailed on to Portsmouth, where they rejoined her on leaving hospital. From 25 to 30 May 2007, after an exercise in the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
, ''Illustrious'' was the first British aircraft carrier ever to visit
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
,
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
. 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 the
Estonian Defence Forces The Estonian Defence Forces ( et, Eesti Kaitsevägi) are the unified military forces of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consist of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary E ...
. Next, in July 2007, ''Illustrious'' took 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. On 10 July 2007, during the JTFX, a MV-22 Osprey landed aboard ''Illustrious'', the first time a V-22 had landed on a non-U.S. vessel.


2008

The carrier set sail from Portsmouth on 21 January 2008 as head of the multi-national Task Group 328.01, 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 whilst ''Illustrious'' was still in the English Channel. She sailed back out at 1pm on 24 January and made up the lost 24 hours. Her ports of call included
Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...
,
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
26–29 February 2008. This 2008 assignment was filmed and shown on Channel 5 as the six part TV documentary ''Warship'' transmitted on Mondays from 19 May 2008. This documentary aimed to show life on board the aging carrier in much the same way that was shown in the 1976 series ''
Sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...
''. ''Illustrious'' was commanded by Captain Steve Chick CBE BSc, who had also commanded during the 2005 BBC documentary ''Shipmates''. By the end of July, she had returned to
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...
where ''Illustrious'' took part in the 2008 navy open-day. On board was a full size model of the F-35 Joint Combat Aircraft which will replace the Harriers then used by the ship. ''Illustrious'' was the only aircraft carrier to be part of the event, although the inactive was also visible to the public. On 17 October she, along with , sailed into Liverpool where she was open to the public on Saturday 18 October. On 4 November she moored at
Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
, arriving to take central part in the Royal Navy's remembrance week with the F-35 mock-up still on deck.


2009

On 7 May 2009 she returned to
Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
to serve as the centre piece of the Royal Navy's celebration of a century of British
naval aviation Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based ...
; on board were examples of all the Navy's operational helicopters. Beginning on 8 June, she took part in the exercise Loyal Arrow in northern
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
. The exercise lasted until 16 June. On 17 June 2009, she arrived in
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
. On 27 June 2009 she was in the harbour of
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, Norway. On 22 October 2009 she arrived at
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
for a six-day visit and moored at the
cruise terminal A passenger terminal is a structure in a port which services passengers boarding and leaving water vessels such as ferries, cruise ships and ocean liners. Depending on the types of vessels serviced by the terminal, it may be named (for example) ...
. 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. ''Illustrious'' was open to members of the public on 25–26 October and departed Liverpool on 27 October 2009.


2010–2016

As part of Strategic Defence and Security Review, and in addition to the retirement of the Harrier force and ''Illustrious''s sister ship , it was announced that a short study would be carried out to determine whether ''Illustrious'' or ''Ocean'' was the most viable helicopter platform. The decision was subsequently made to retain ''Ocean'' for the longer term. In May 2011 ''Illustrious'' was made operational after a £40 million refit, and she was handed back to the fleet after sea trials in late July 2011 She took over the helicopter carrier role while ''Ocean'' underwent a planned refit, due for completion by 2014; ''Illustrious'' was then withdrawn from service. The Ministry of Defence also announced on 12 September 2012 that ''Illustrious'', as the last of the ''Invincible''-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". In March 2012, ''Illustrious'' took part in Exercise ' Cold Response' with , and other Royal Navy vessels. This was a
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...
winter war games exercise conducted in northern
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
, where she tested her capabilities as a helicopter carrier. ''Illustrious'' was awarded the Bambara Trophy, the trophy is given to a unit each year with the best flight safety record, during 'Cold Response'. Following 'Cold Response' she then took part in Exercise 'Joint Warrior' with vessels from Norway, the Netherlands and the United States and Cougar 12 in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
. In May 2013, as part of the 70th Anniversary of The Battle of the Atlantic Commemorations, ''Illustrious'' sailed 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 along with , , and six RFA vessels. She was diverted away from the COUGAR 13 task group in December 2013 to assist in
Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...
disaster relief efforts in the Philippines and eventually returned to Portsmouth on 10 January 2014. ''Illustrious'' was briefly berthed at
Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
in the first week of July 2014, in a dock adjacent to , which was formally named on 4 July 2014; ''Illustrious'' left Rosyth the following day and arrived back at HMNB Portsmouth on 22 July at the end of active service. By then the oldest operational RN warship, she was decommissioned at HMNB Portsmouth on 28 August 2014. The Royal Navy had hoped to preserve the ship, and in August 2014 it was reported that
Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south- ...
and two other cities had submitted bids for her. However, these bids were judged to be unviable. On 6 May 2016, the MOD's Disposal Authority advertised the potential sale of ''Illustrious'' for recycling only and three months later the sale to a Turkish scrapyard was confirmed. The former HMS ''Illustrious'' left Portsmouth under tow bound for Turkey on 7 December 2016.


Commanding officers

*1981–1983: Captain
Jock Slater Jock may refer to: Common meanings * Jock (stereotype), a North American term for a stereotypical male athlete * Jock, a derogatory term for Scottish people mostly used by the English * Short for jockstrap, an item of male protective undergarme ...
RN *1983–1984: Captain John Kerr RN *1984–1986: Captain
Alan Grose Vice Admiral Sir Alan Grose KBE (born 24 September 1937) is a former Royal Navy officer who became Flag Officer, Plymouth. Naval career Educated at Strode's School and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Grose joined the Royal Navy in 1957.De ...
RN *1986–1988: Captain
Peter Woodhead Sir Anthony Peter Woodhead, (born 30 July 1939) is a former Royal Navy officer who served as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic from 1991 to 1993. Naval career Educated at Leeds Grammar School, HMS ''Conway'' and the Royal Naval Colleg ...
RN *1988–1989: Captain Jonathan Tod RN *1993–1995: Captain Richard Phillips RN *1995–1997: Captain Jonathon Band RN *1997–1998: Captain Stephen Meyer RN *1998–2000: Captain
Mark Stanhope Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, (born 26 March 1952) is a retired Royal Navy officer. After serving as a submarine commander, he commanded a frigate and then commanded an aircraft carrier on operational patrol off Sierra Leone. He went on to be Deput ...
OBE RN *2000–2001: Captain
Charles Style Vice Admiral Charles Rodney Style, (born 15 January 1954) is a former Royal Navy officer who served as Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies from 2008 to 2012. Naval career Educated at the University of Cambridge, Style joined th ...
RN *2001–2002: Captain Alan Massey RN *2004–2006: Captain Robert Cooling RN *2006–2007: Captain Tim Fraser RN *2007–2009: Captain Steven Chick RN *2009–2010: Captain Benjamin Key RN *2011–2012: Captain Jeremy Kyd RN *2012–2013: Captain Martin Connell RN *2013–2014: Captain
Mike Utley Michael Gerard Utley (born December 20, 1965) is a former American football player. He played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League from 1989 through 1991, when he was paralyzed during a game. Early life and college career A gra ...
RN *Post Decommissioning: Commander Tim Winter RN


Affiliations

*
Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...
*
Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, formerly the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN), is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company was founded in 1929, and became a Livery Company in 1956. Elizabeth II granted ...
*
City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...
* Worshipful Company of Lightmongers *30 Signal Regiment, Royal Signals *TS Colne Light SCC (Colchester Sea Cadets) *T.S. ''Illustrious'' Sea Cadet Unit * No. 7 Squadron RAF *
Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
* Bath R.F.C. *
Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...
CCF CCF can refer to: Computing * Confidential Consortium Framework, a free and open source blockchain infrastructure framework developed by Microsoft * Customer Care Framework, a Microsoft product Finance * Credit conversion factor converts the am ...
* University of London Air Squadron, RAF *
Worshipful Company of Shipwrights The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights is one of the ancient livery companies of the City of London. Although the Shipwrights' Company is no longer a shipbuilding trade association representing solely London-based industry, through its members ...
*4th/6th Leigh on Sea, Sea Scout Group *HMS ''Illustrious'' Association


In media

In 2010, the ship was featured on Channel 5 documentary series ''
Warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster ...
''. The first series was centred on ''Illustrious'', looking at the daily routines and lives of the crew on board and was filmed during one of her exercises with deployments abroad. ''Illustrious'' was featured in an episode of the television show ''Real Rooms''. She has also featured in the BBC documentary ''
Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections ''Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections'' is a British documentary series originally broadcast on the National Geographic Channel, and later on BBC2. It is presented by Richard Hammond, and looks at how engineers and designers use historic ...
'' with
Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, mechanic, and writer. He is best known for co-hosting the BBC Two motoring programme '' Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and J ...
.


References

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Illustrious (R06) Invincible-class aircraft carriers 1978 ships Cold War aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom Ships built by Swan Hunter Ships built on the River Tyne