- A deal to sell HMS Illustrious to the Government of Gibraltar has fallen through.
- The British Overseas Territory wanted to buy the aircraft carrier and turn it into a 'maritime attraction'.
- A spokesman for the Gibraltar Government told Forces TV.
"HM Government
of Gibraltar gave serious consideration to the idea of bringing ex-HMS
Illustrious to Gibraltar but, sadly, the costs of maintaining the ship proved
to be prohibitive."
HMS Illustrious has
been alongside at HMNB Portsmouth since being decommissioned in August 2014.
The 22,000 tonne
aircraft carrier was rushed into service three months ahead of schedule in 1982
for the Falklands War. It also served in the Gulf, the Bosnian War, and aided
the Philippines after Typhoon Hayain.
One of the former
commanders of the ship known as 'Lusty' said he would rather see her scrapped
than rusting in port. Vice Admiral Bob Cooling told the Portsmouth News.
"Unless
Lusty’s future is adequately funded to preserve her appearance and dignity as
the UK’s longest-ever serving aircraft carrier then it would be better that she
is scrapped rather than risk her becoming a national embarrassment."
The two other
Invincible-class carriers HMS Ark Royal and HMS Invincible have already been
scrapped.
An MoD spokesman
told the Portsmouth News that a plan that could see the ship continue its life
at sea was under consideration but did not offer more details. They also added
that the Disposal Services Authority was not talking to ship recycling
companies.
Source: forces tv.
11 April 2016
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