The vessel, built by Swan Hunter on the Tyne, has been sold for £2million
and will sail out to Turkey next month
The last voyage of the Tyne-built aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is
expected to take place next month when she leaves the UK for a Turkish
breaker’s yard.
Efforts to save the ship, built by Swan Hunter at Wallsend, as a heritage
attraction failed and the vessel has now been sold to LEYAL Ship Recycling Ltd
in Turkey for £2m.
The same fate befell the sister ship of Illustrious, HMS Ark Royal, which
was also built by Swans and was bought by the Turkish breakers.
The company also scrapped the third carrier in the class, HMS Invincible,
which was built by Vickers at Barrow, in Cumbria.
George Bone, who lives in Hebburn in South Tyneside, is now retired after
serving for 32 years in the Royal Navy including time as executive warrant
officer on Ark Royal.
He said: “Ark Royal was a wonderful ship and Illustrious, which I visited
many times, was identical. I am totally gutted about both ships. It is a total
shame.”
Mr Bone, who served his apprenticeship at Swans before joining the navy,
will be on duty on Sunday to talk to visitors to the Old Low Light Heritage
Centre on North Shields Fish Quay about a new display on Ark Royal, which also
includes images of Illustrious, which was known to its crew as “Lusty.”
The Ark Royal display is an addition to the current Shipyard Painters and
Swans Snappers exhibitions which are running at the centre until September18.
The HMS Illustrious Association described the decision to scrap the ship
as “a sad day indeed.”
The association said: “Many of our members are very disappointed that
Lusty could not be saved for the nation as a heritage attraction as was
promised.
“It is likely that HMS Illustrious will leave Portsmouth on her final
voyage and this is expected to take place somewhere between the October 17-24
although this exact date is to be confirmed.
“Since Illustrious was decommissioned in late 2014 after serving the
nation for some 32 years it was hoped that she would be saved for the nation as
a heritage attraction but despite numerous ideas and proposals, no viable plan
has was reached.”
HMS Ark Royal was scrapped for £2.9 million in 2013 and HMS Invincible
fetched around £2 million in 2011.
In 1982, the conflict in the Falklands meant that work on Illustrious at
Swans had to be speeded up so she could join her sister ship HMS Invincible.
Work on the £400m carrier was brought forward by three months for
completion at Swans and she was then commissioned on June 20, 1982.
In 32 years of service, between 1982 and 2014, HMS Illustrious covered
over 900,000 nautical miles. Operations ranged from stabilization efforts in
the immediate aftermath of the first Gulf War and delivering humanitarian aid
after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in 2013.
In October 2013, the MOD launched a competition to seek bids to retain
the aircraft carrier in the UK. The aim of the competition was to see part or
all of the ship developed for heritage purposes and, while a number of bids were
received, none proved to be viable.
Mike Utley, former Commanding Officer on HMS Illustrious, said: “Lusty
provided a world-class service to the Royal Navy for over three decades. We
will bid her farewell with a heavy heart but in the knowledge that everything
has been done to find a use for her.”
The ship was featured on the Channel 5 documentary series Warship. The
first series was centred on Illustrious, looking at the daily routines and
lives of the crew.
Four years ago she made a final four-day visit to the Tyne.
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| HMS Illustrator |
Source: chronicle live. 11 September 2016
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