Tri-Service

Scrapped: HMS Illustrious put up for sale

Article by John-Paul Tooth

HMS Illustrious is set to be sold off for 'recycling' after the government's attempt to keep her for the nation failed.

The Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Authority (DSA), which is responsible for disposing of all surplus British military equipment, has released a notice inviting expressions of interest for the potential sale of the aircraft carrier.

Nicknamed 'Lusty', the ship was the second of three Invincible-class ships built in the late 1970s and early 1980s, being rushed into service in 1982 to take part in the Falklands War.

Along with HMS Invincible and HMS Ark Royal, both long since having been sold off for scrap, she then spent 32 years protecting the UK’s interests across the world before being decommissioned in August 2014.

HMS Illustrious in Copenhagen, Denmark

The sale notice is something of an embarassment, with the government announcing its intention to preserve Illustrious as a lasting tribute to the work of the Invincible-class as early as 2012.

Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne said at the time:

"It is important that we preserve the legacy of the Royal Navy’s Invincible-class aircraft carriers. When the last of these - HMS Illustrious - retires from the Royal Navy, we would like to see her preserved as a legacy to the work she, Invincible and Ark Royal have done to protect the UK over three decades."

"We would be keen to seek innovative proposals from a range of organisations, including private sector companies, charities and trusts."

More: HMS Invincible's Falklands Commander Dies

Speaking to Forces TV an MoD spokeswoman explained there had been a failure to find an appropriate buyer for Lusty: "We've previously asked for bids from companies wanting to turn it into some kind of heritage site but none were suitable."

"Recycling now seems the only viable option - however, if any other option comes up in the meantime we would look at that. At the moment we haven't had any bids so we don't know what it will be turned into but we have opened the bidding up to the wider recycling market."

However a Royal Navy source told Forces TV that the option of HMS Illustrious being sold for scrap remains the most likely fate, describing a worst-case scenario of her being "run up a beach and turned into razor blades."

They did add, however, that "she could still be sold to a foreign navy and refitted", citing examples of ships sold to India and Chile, including the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and three Type 23 frigates.

Illustrious in Southampton in 2011. Picture: Brian Burnell

The MoD, meanwhile, released the following statement:

"We have done all we can for over two years to find a home for the former HMS Illustrious in the UK, and regrettably no suitable bidder has come forward. While it is a difficult decision, we have announced an open competition for the recycling of HMS Illustrious, while remaining open to heritage options."

It comes after Forces TV revealed last month that a deal to sell Illustrious to the government of Gibraltar had fallen through.

That followed reports that a number of potential buyers had expressed interest in her, including Hull City Council, who were said to want to turn her into a floating maritime museum docked in the city as part of its role as UK city of culture for 2017.

Council bosses reportedly spent £540,000 on a bid to bring Illustrious to the city, as part of plans to turn Hull in to an international cruise terminal.

Illustrious moored at Greenwich in May 2013

Businesses in Portsmouth, meanwhile, were said to be interested in securing the warship, to turn her into a conference centre and venue, while a Southampton firm unveiled ambitious designs to turn her into a yacht.

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The fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, Lusty served in conflicts in Iraq, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, and Lebanon after being rushed to join her sister ship HMS Invincible and the veteran carrier HMS Hermes in the Falklands.

She underwent an extensive re-fit in 2002, and operated as one of two Royal Navy helicopter carriers following the retirement of her Harrier aircraft in 2010.

By the time of her decommissioning in 2014 she was the oldest ship in the Royal Navy's active fleet and she is not due to be replaced until HMS Queen Elizabeth is commissioned in 2017.

Viewing of Lusty, which is currently moored at Portsmouth, ahead of a sale is due to take place in June, with the government having set a closing date for interested parties on May 23.