MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

HMS Illustrious becomes Fleet Flagship

With a greatly enhanced capability, strike carrier HMS Illustrious has succeeded her sister-ship HMS Invincible as Fleet Flagship and will be rededicated on August 4.

The rededication ceremony, conducted at sea off Portsmouth, follows the ship's £120-million refit and months of trials and sea training. Chief guest at the ceremony will be Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band.

Next year the third of the Navy's carriers, HMS Ark Royal, is due to return to the Fleet after her regeneration and upgrade conducted at Rosyth. When she returns to Portsmouth the Royal Navy will have in service two of the most powerful and capable warships in its history.

Meanwhile, the veteran carrier HMS Invincible, one of the oldest ships in the Fleet, will enter a state of reduced readiness. The decision to rest her from active service a few months earlier than previously planned has been taken on the basis of current operational assessments and will allow resources to be re-directed to the Service's greater benefit.

Invincible, launched in 1977 and commissioned three years later, entered Portsmouth Naval Base on August 1. Almost 250 family members of the ship's company joined the carrier for her entry into Portsmouth, which was marked by a gun salute and fly-past.

The warship will be at reduced readiness until she becomes due for disposal at the long-planned date of 2010, when the scheduled entry into service of the new generation of much larger aircraft carriers will be approaching. (RN).-