MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands’ war carrier HMS Invincible towed to a Turkish scrap-yard
The light aircraft carrier at all her glory The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Invincible which had a leading role in the recovery of the Falkland Islands in 1982 has been sold to a Turkish scrap-yard which specialises in recycling ships.
Together with HMS Hermes she was home of the Task Force strike force made up of the V/TOL Harriers and Sea Harriers that proved a formidable and versatile weapon even outnumbered by the Argentine Air Force and Navy aircraft. Rear Admiral “Sandy” Woodward commanded the Task group from HMS Invincible.
The carrier was sold through an internet site. Leyal Ship Recycling, which is based near Izmir, was chosen ahead of a bid by a UK-based Chinese businessman.
Lam Kin-bong - who owns restaurants in the West Midlands - had offered £5m and wanted to turn the former warship into an international school in China.
But a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “After 25 years of service HMS Invincible was decommissioned nearly six years ago and having reached the end of her distinguished career, it is right that we secure a good financial return for the taxpayer.
”The bid from Leyal Ship Recycling does this and also ensures she is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.”
Leyal has been involved in the scrapping of several Royal Navy ships - the destroyers Cardiff, Newcastle and Glasgow and auxiliary ship RFA Oakleaf.
HMS Invincible is expected to be towed from Portsmouth by the end of March and is expected to arrive in Turkey four weeks later. It will take eight months to dismantle.
HMS Invincible was the lead ship of three light aircraft carriers. She was launched on 3 May 1977 and is the seventh ship to carry the name. She saw action in the Falklands war when she was deployed with HMS Hermes and took over as Flagship of the British Fleet when Hermes was sold to India.
HMS Invincible was also deployed in Yugoslavia and Iraq, and was decommissioned in 2005.
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Read all commentsAnother great mistake by a another stupid goverment.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 01:27 am +1Funny also- Argentina claimed to have sank her TWICE in 1982 - odd she is still afloat 29 years later!! I recall a Spanish film crew(well they had Spanish passports!) who arrived here shortly after June 14th 1982 when she was still on station and insisted on being flown out to film her to proove she was indeed still afloat!
Feb 09th, 2011 - 02:06 am +1Article incorrect- Woodward,s flagship was Hermes- the larger carrier which although older ship had the better more modern communications set up.
Alway sad to see a greyship go - but they do, and time moves on- one day that great name will appear again.
Billy I know some Argentines were dumb thick and believed every bit of garbage Galtieri told them- clearly you are one of them? Supposing she was sunk - how come all her crew survived and how come independent reporters filmed her and went aboard her down here - and she was given a welcome back into Portsmouth a month or so later - now not even the Americans or Chinese could have built another one inside a month in secret - arse!
Feb 09th, 2011 - 04:05 am +1Crime- the criminals were the Arg Government who abandoned and broke off talks ongoing on Sovereignty and used military force to invade us. HMS Invincible and others were acting under full UN legitimacy - remember Security Council resolution 502? That gave the UK the right of force to evict Argentina if she choose to ignore the resolution.
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