HMS Illustrious (R06)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See HMS Illustrious for other ships of the same name.

Career (United Kingdom)
Ordered:	14 May 1976
Builder:	Swan Hunter
Laid down:	7 October 1976
Launched:	1 December 1981
Commissioned:	20 June 1982
Homeport:	HMNB Portsmouth
Motto:	Vox Non Incerta (Latin: "No Uncertain Voice")
Nickname:	Lusty
Fate:	Active in service as of 2008
Notes:	Pennant = R06
General characteristics
Displacement:	20,600 tons
Length:	194 m
Beam:	36 m
Draught:	7.5 m
Propulsion:	4 × Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines providing 97,000 hp (75 MW) 8 Paxman Valenta diesel generators.
Speed:	28 knots (52 km/h), 18 knots (33 km/h) cruising
Range:	5,000 miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement:	685 crew 366 Fleet Air Arm
Armament:	3 × Goalkeeper CIWS 2 × GAM-B01 20 mm close-range guns
Aircraft carried:	Harrier GR.7/9 fighter/bombers; Sea King ASaC, Merlin HM Mk.1 helicopters

The fifth HMS Illustrious (R06) is an Invincible-class light aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, affectionately known as 'Lusty' to her crew.

Contents 1 Construction 2 Refits 3 Operations and deployments 3.1 1990-2002 3.2 2006 3.3 2007 3.4 2008 4 Gallery 5 Affiliations 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Construction

She was laid down at Swan Hunter on the River Tyne in 1976, and launched in 1981. 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 was repaired, an aircraft carrier was required on station to protect the area from possible Argentine attack. Invincible had been on station for many months when Illustrious steamed to its relief. However, Illustrious was needed so quickly that the ship was actually commissioned underway. After the RAF airfield was repaired, Illustrious returned to the UK for a full shakedown cruise and workup period, with a formal commissioning on 20 March 1983.

[edit] Refits

The ship saw no further action during the remainder of the decade, but continued to be a valuable asset for the Royal Navy in showing the flag and participating in exercises all around the world. During those years, the ship received several enhancements during refits, including a ski-jump with a steeper angle to enable the Harriers in the air wing to takeoff with a larger payload. During an 'Extended Defect and Maintenance Period', numerous modifications were made to the ship including the removal of her Sea Dart missile 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 GR.7.

In mid-2003, the ship entered a further refit at Rosyth Dockyard. This refit involved the total rebuild of the ski 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 enable her to carry on until 2014, when it is expected that the first of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers will come into service. Illustrious returned to Portsmouth following the completion of the refit in December 2004.

[edit] Operations and deployments

[edit] 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 during that 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, the U.S. and coalition enforcement of the no-fly-zone over Southern Iraq.

In 2000 she led Task Group 342.1, a naval task force comprising HM ships - Ocean, Argyll, Iron Duke, Chatham and numerous RFA ships in Operation Palliser, which was aimed at restoring peace and stability to Sierra Leone.

A notable combat deployment for the ship took place in late 2001. A large British exercise, Saif Sareea II took place in Oman in the autumn of 2001. During the exercise, the World Trade Center was destroyed by Al Qaida. Illustrious remained in theatre while other elements of the task force returned to the United Kingdom. Illustrious had elements of the Royal Marines on board, ready for possible combat operations in Afghanistan.^[1] No deployment was made before Illustrious was relieved by Ocean in early 2002.

[edit] 2006

HMS Illustrious along with HMS Gloucester 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's Remembrance Day activities, HMS Illustrious sailed up the River Thames 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.^[2]

[edit] 2007

Illustrious carried out two weeks of fixed wing flying serials exercises in the North Sea 20 miles off Hartlepool in March 2007, during which seven GR9 Harriers from IV (Four) Squadron Joint Force Harrier touched down on her flight-deck.^[3] Also during these exercises, seven of her crew had to be airlifted to hospital in Middlesbrough 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.^[4]

From 25 to 30 May 2007, after an exercise in the Baltic Sea, Illustrious was the first British aircraft carrier ever to dock in Tallinn, 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 the Estonian Defence Forces.^[5]

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 took onboard 14 US Harrier jets and 200 US Marines) before returning to Portsmouth the following month.^[6]

[edit] 2008

The carrier set sail from Portsmouth on 21 January 2008 as head of the multi-national task group Orion 08, which from January to May 2008 will carry 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 24th^[7] and made up the lost 24 hours.^[8][9][10] Her ports of call included Valletta, Malta 26–29 February 2008.^[11][12]

This 2008 assignment was filmed and shown on Channel 5 as the 6-part tv documentary Warship transmitted on Mondays from May 19th 2008^[13][14]. This documentary aimed to show life onboard the now-aging carrier in much the same way that the Ark Royal was shown in the 1976 Sailor. HMS Illustrious was commanded by ex-Chatham commanding officer Captain Steve Chick CBE BSc, who had also commanded HMS Chatham during the 2005 BBC documentary named Shipmates.

[edit] Gallery

Illustrious docked at Bergen, Norway

Illustrious docked at Grand Harbour, Malta, 2005

Illustrious from the Portsmouth docks, July 2005

Illustrious from the water, Portsmouth July 2005

[edit] Affiliations

• Grenadier Guards
• City of London Corporation
• Worshipful Company of Lightmongers
• 30 Signal Regiment, Royal Signals
• No. 7 Squadron RAF
• Metropolitan Police Service
• Bath R.F.C.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Maritimequest HMS Illustrious photo gallery
• Windows Local Live Birdseye image of HMS Illustrious docked in Portsmouth

Commissioned Royal Navy Ships

Aircraft carriers Invincible-class HMS Illustrious | HMS Ark Royal Submarines Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine HMS Vanguard | HMS Victorious | HMS Vigilant | HMS Vengeance Swiftsure-class fleet submarine HMS Superb | HMS Sceptre Trafalgar-class fleet submarine HMS Trafalgar | HMS Turbulent | HMS Tireless | HMS Torbay | HMS Trenchant | HMS Talent | HMS Triumph Destroyers Type 42 (Sheffield/Manchester-class) HMS Exeter | HMS Southampton | HMS Nottingham | HMS Liverpool | HMS Manchester | HMS Gloucester | HMS Edinburgh | HMS York Frigates Type 22 (Broadsword-class) HMS Cornwall | HMS Cumberland | HMS Campbeltown | HMS Chatham Type 23 (Duke-class) HMS Argyll | HMS Lancaster | HMS Iron Duke | HMS Monmouth | HMS Montrose | HMS Westminster | HMS Northumberland | HMS Richmond | HMS Somerset | HMS Sutherland | HMS Kent | HMS Portland | HMS St Albans Landing vessels Albion-class Landing Platform, Docks HMS Albion | HMS Bulwark Landing Platform, Helicopter HMS Ocean Mine countermeasures vessels Sandown-class HMS Walney | HMS Penzance | HMS Pembroke | HMS Grimsby | HMS Bangor | HMS Ramsey | HMS Blyth | HMS Shoreham Hunt-class HMS Ledbury | HMS Cattistock | HMS Brocklesby | HMS Middleton | HMS Chiddingfold | HMS Atherstone | HMS Hurworth | HMS Quorn Patrol vessels Antarctic ice-patrol ship HMS Endurance River-class HMS Mersey | HMS Severn | HMS Tyne | HMS Clyde Archer-class HMS Archer | HMS Biter | HMS Smiter | HMS Blazer | HMS Puncher | HMS Charger | HMS Ranger | HMS Trumpeter | HMS Express | HMS Example | HMS Explorer | HMS Exploit | HMS Tracker | HMS Raider | HMS Pursuer | HMS Dasher Scimitar-class HMS Scimitar | HMS Sabre Survey vessels Ocean-going survey vessel HMS Scott Coastal survey vessel HMS Roebuck Echo-class multi-role survey vessel HMS Echo | HMS Enterprise Survey launch HMS Gleaner Miscellaneous vessels Type 82 destroyer HMS Bristol (Static training vessel) C class cruiser HMS Caroline (Shore establishment) First-rate ship of the line HMS Victory (Flagship of the Second Sea Lord)

List of ship names of the Royal Navy

v • d • e Invincible-class aircraft carrier Invincible · Illustrious · Ark Royal Preceded by:Audacious class Centaur class · Followed by:Queen Elizabeth class List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy