HMS Ark Royal (R07)

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Career (UK)
Ordered:	December 1978
Builder:	Swan Hunter
Laid down:	14 December 1978
Launched:	2 June 1981
Commissioned:	1 November 1985
Decommissioned:	N/A
Homeport:	HMNB Portsmouth
Motto:	Zeal Does Not Rest
Fate:	Active in service as of 2008
Notes:	Pennant = R07
General characteristics
Displacement:	20,600 tons
Length:	210 m (689 ft)
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:	30+ knots,
Range:	5,000 miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement:	685 crew 366 Fleet Air Arm
Armament:	3 × Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS 2 × GAM-B01 20 mm guns
Aircraft carried:	Harrier GR.7/9 fighter/bombers; Sea King ASaC, Merlin HM Mk.1 helicopters

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. 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.

She is currently the flagship of the active fleet.

Contents 1 Construction 2 Refits 2.1 1999-2001 2.2 2004-2006 3 Operations 4 Gallery 5 Affiliations 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Construction

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. Originally intended as Indomitable in line with her sister ships (HMS Invincible and HMS Illustrious), 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. The unfinished Ark Royal was reportedly offered for sale to the Royal Australian Navy in 1981.^[1] HMS Invincible was later offered for sale instead.

[edit] Refits

[edit] 1999-2001

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 was recommissioned in 2001.

[edit] 2004-2006

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.^[2] On March 22 2007, HMS Ark Royal was returned to the Royal Navy Fleet after a 2 year refit worth £18 million. As of May 2007, she once again became the Fleet Flagship, reclaiming the title from her sister ship, Illustrious, which had been Flagship since the end of her refit in 2005.

[edit] Operations

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.

Ark Royal is expected to remain in service until 2016, at which time she will be replaced with HMS Prince of Wales. This new vessel is expected to displace three times that of the Invincible class and offer a steep change in operational capability.

[edit] Gallery

Ark Royal entering HMNB Portsmouth	Ark Royal entering Portsmouth	Ark Royal entering Portsmouth	Ark Royal entering Portsmouth
Four commissioned ships of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth dockyard; HMS Endurance (A171), the Type 42 destroyer HMS Liverpool, the historic Ship of the line HMS Victory and the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R07)	HMS Ark Royal moored at Portsmouth, UK, March 2007	HMS Ark Royal at Greenwich, London	HMS Ark Royal (R07) in Portsmouth Harbour following her 2005/6 refit
Ark Royal (R07)'s hangar, in Liverpool on a public visiting day (7 June 2008)

[edit] Affiliations

• The Queen's Royal Lancers
• Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team
• City of Leeds
• Worshipful Company of Shipwrights
• Leeds United F.C.
• Jaguar Cars Ltd

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official page on Royal Navy site
• BBC factfile
• Maritimequest HMS Ark Royal photo gallery

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

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