HMS Ark Royal (R07)
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| HMS Ark Royal (R07) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Career |  |
| Ordered: | December 1978 |
| Laid down: | 14 December 1978 |
| Launched: | 2 June 1981 |
| Commissioned: | 1 November 1985 |
| Decommissioned: | |
| Fate: | Active as of 2007 |
| Struck: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 20,600 tons |
| Length: | 210 m (689 ft) |
| Beam: | 36 m (118 ft) |
| Draught: | 7.5 m (25 ft) |
| Propulsion & power: | 4 × Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines, 112,000 shp 2 shafts 8 Paxman Valenta diesel generators. |
| Speed: | 30+ knots |
| Range: | 5000 miles at 18 knots |
| Complement: | 685 crew, 366 Fleet Air Arm |
| Armament: | 3 × Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS 2 × GAM-B01 20 mm guns |
| Aircraft: | Harrier GR.7 fighter/bombers Westland Sea King helicopters Merlin helicopters |
| Motto: | Zeal Does Not Rest |
| Badge: | |
HMS Ark Royal (R07), the last Invincible-class light aircraft carrier to be completed, is the fifth ship of the Royal Navy named in honour of the flagship of the English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada.
Her keel was laid by Swan Hunter at Wallsend on 7 December 1978. She was launched on 20 June 1981 sponsored by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and commissioned on 1 November 1985. Her name was originally intended to be Indomitable in line with her sister ships (HMS Invincible and HMS Illustrious), but public resentment at the scrapping of the previous Ark Royal (Britain's last large aircraft carrier) in 1980, led the Royal Navy to announce that the name would be revived on the new ship.
Ark Royal is slightly larger than her sister ships and during construction she was fitted with a steeper ski-jump ramp, (twelve degrees, as opposed to seven degrees of the Invincible) to improve STOVL take-off performance for the Harrier aircraft.
In May 1999 Ark Royal put into Rosyth for refitting, which included the removal of the Sea Dart missiles and covering over of the foredeck to allow for an enlarged deck park for aircraft. She recommissioned in 2001.
Ark Royal, commanded by Captain Alan Massey, took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq where her complement consisted of helicopters rather than her usual mix of helicopters and Harrier aircraft. During operations in the war two Westland Sea King helicopters, from 849 Naval Air Squadron, collided in mid-air with the loss of one American and six British lives. In April 2004 Ark Royal entered into extended readiness, following which she entered refit with the return to service of Illustrious. Ark Royal completed an extensive refit in August 2006 and returned to Portsmouth, her home port, to rejoin the fleet on 28 October 2006 where she underwent 10 weeks of training and sea trials.l. Ark Royal will be utilised as an LPH, replacing Ocean while she undergoes refit. On 16 November 2006 a British Army WAH-64 Apache attack helicopter landed on Ark Royal for the first time marking an increase in the carriers capability.[1] She was returned to the fleet on March 22, 2007, and will leave on Nato exercises in the coming weeks.
Ark Royal is expected to remain in service until 2015, at which time she will be replaced with the second of the Royal Navy future carriers. These new vessels are expected to displace three times that of the Invincible class and offer a steep change in operational capability.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.tuvps.co.uk/news/articles/new-ark-royal-takes-apache-on-board-17966686.asp TÜV Product Service Industry News | 'New' Ark Royal takes Apache on board
[edit] External links
| Invincible-class aircraft carrier |
| Invincible | Illustrious | Ark Royal |
List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy |
