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Falklands’ war carrier HMS Invincible towed to a Turkish scrap-yard
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. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesAnother great mistake by a another stupid goverment.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 01:27 am - Link - Report abuse +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 - Link - Report abuse +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.
islander, they are destroying the body of the crime. no chance a chinesse restaurant or a museum.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 02:19 am - Link - Report abuse -1the original at the bottom of the sea and fake in a turkish scrap yard.
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 - Link - Report abuse +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.
“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”
Feb 09th, 2011 - 05:00 am - Link - Report abuse -1I agree with Briton@1, great mistake! Would've been a great Chinese restaurant.
I reckon they should have sent her down here, like HMS Belfast she could have been preserved as a floating museum but in Stanley....that would have annoyed the Argies.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 08:21 am - Link - Report abuse +1Could have had a big sign on it: 'Take a look Argies, she's still afloat'
:-)
ha ha, good one #6. could have been maybe a dance hall/restaurant/tourist hotel for Stanley. but love your idea of the sign!
Feb 09th, 2011 - 09:12 am - Link - Report abuse +1Aye, a Chinese restuarant in Stanley would be a fine thing come to think of it.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 10:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0Oh what the heck why not admit we built a complete aircraft carrier in a month and cloned all the crew including Prince Andrew plus all the reporters on there so their families were unaware they were killed
Feb 09th, 2011 - 10:59 am - Link - Report abuse +1two new ones, because they did sink it twice during the war remember!
Feb 09th, 2011 - 11:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0silly me how could I forget:)
Feb 09th, 2011 - 11:35 am - Link - Report abuse 0@3
Feb 09th, 2011 - 11:44 am - Link - Report abuse +1“they are destroying the body of the crime. no chance a chinesse restaurant or a museum.
the original at the bottom of the sea and fake in a turkish scrap yard.”
Hahahaha, you conspiracy theorists are a laugh a minute, I suppose the Canberra who your Gov claim was sunk, was rebuilt in a month too & then reterned your POW's, or was it a ghost ship?
You do your fellow Argies no justification with such crap, you cannot silence 1000's of crew & reporters or their families for 29 years.
Total and absolute lunacy in the first degree.
No he is right, it was rebuilt by the fairies that live at the bottom of my garden next the herd of unicorns looked after by gnomes
Feb 09th, 2011 - 12:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Btw it was 6 times, that Argentine claimed to have sunk Vinny.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 12:04 pm - Link - Report abuse +1The day after Vinny was allegedly sunk her Harriers splashed a Hercules.
So many ships were sunk that probably a few got confused.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 09:00 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Yeah i suppose they confused them with the dozens of other aircraft carriers they sunk.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 10:25 pm - Link - Report abuse +1the argies were mislea ,the atlantic conveyor emited signals as if it was an aircraft carrier,the argie airforce sent an exocet and the at.conveyor was sunk but they thought it was the invencible.
Feb 09th, 2011 - 10:33 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Thanks to a lot of electronic gear an virtual carrier was created
@16
Feb 10th, 2011 - 01:44 am - Link - Report abuse 0Dozens? noooo...hundreds it was......and they shot down thousands of harriers....and they sacked London.....and Washington....
Look up the El Malvinense website and Juan Pablo Leronde's contributions. He claims the Argentine Air Force shot down more Sea Harriers than existed at the time. 900 soldiers killed on the Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram, not to mention ships sunk or hit that never were.
Feb 10th, 2011 - 09:02 am - Link - Report abuse +1I see many regular contributors to El Malvinense here, sadly they flock round certain websites and drive away sensible contributors and claim to “win” the debate.
Yeah i remember reading a whole massive document from a Malvinense poster who claimed that because the carriers close in defence system(Phalanx CIWS) was located on a different side of the ship that it must therefore be an entirely new ship built at sea within two weeks and the 1500 men + newsreporters + the prince somehow all survived and no-one ever told the story.
Feb 10th, 2011 - 10:35 am - Link - Report abuse 0Ignoring all logical facts purly because the CIWS was placed on another part of the ship...The part he missed was that it's a self contained bolt on system.
@19 and 20 its telling when that particular website includes praise from open fascist parties as badges of honor. plus their open stance of wanting to exterminate the islanders. still it's an interesting case study on the cumulative effects of propaganda on simple minds. the amount of reality denial and vitriolic jingoism it spews out is actually quite amusing. especially it's “evidence” that 2000 Britons died and that the British government covered it up along with apparently the argentine government (when asked about how the tens of thousands of friends, family members and fellow soldiers could have stayed silent about 1750 unreported soldier deaths despite almost 30 years passing and literally thousands of free media outlets they remain silent). hell the amount of hilarious conspiracies there make the whole invincible thing look pretty tame and reasonable (well almost).
Feb 10th, 2011 - 01:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I supose it depends on who is telling the story ?
Feb 10th, 2011 - 08:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0i just don't get this government, they really havent a clue. First they wipe thier asses with £4 billion and scrap Nimrod, now they had a chance to save an iconic vessel, albeit in Chinese hands, but still in one piece...so they decided to scrap it for a few pennies more. Wow great , thanks for that, the extra couple of million will really go to use...maybe some nice second home for that Eton educated prat we have as a prime minister
Feb 10th, 2011 - 09:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 023: That was probably due to the fact that the chinese have been buying carriers for commercial means and then studying them for military designs for a long time now.
Feb 10th, 2011 - 11:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 017 expat,
Feb 11th, 2011 - 07:12 am - Link - Report abuse -1You're right, in part. The Exocet chose the largest and closest target, which in this case was the Atlantic Conveyor and not the HMS Invincible. However, the HMS Invincible was also hit, not sunk, just hit and badly damaged.
Aside from the pilots personal accounts and mission records, there were reports from Venezuelan port officials stating the UK had requested repair services for this very ship. Also, several people saw this ship being towed into Gibraltar.
The simple matter is that this particular attack was to be concealed on accounts of general morale and security reasons, you don't want everybody to know your weakness. Just like taking a picture of the underneath of a HumVee, or limited photos of damaged M-1 and M-2 tanks.
The attack on the 'Invincible' was carried out in a completely different mission.
http://www.euroweeklynews.com/2011020985890/news/spain/spanish-police-helped-britain-win-falklands-war.html
Feb 11th, 2011 - 08:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0Now that was unexpected !
Martin:
Feb 11th, 2011 - 10:35 am - Link - Report abuse +1When an aircraft carrier pulls into port. More than “Several” people go to see it. Aircraft carriers from any nation draw thousands of people out to watch them come into port. Even normal warships get the same treatment.
It is just not possible to hide a sinking or damaging of a vital ship like that from the media when
A: THE MEDIA ARE ON THE SHIP.
B: 1500 people are on the ship.
C: the thousands of it takes to repair or rebuild the ship
all going unnoticed. It's pure fabrication. No evidence and it's just not even logical. If the ship was towed into Gibraltar all messed up someone would have taken a picture. I would have, as would anyone else who saw it.
I remember an article in Aviation Week magazine circa 1986. in that article a Spanish Navy Admiral (NATO) explained the nature of the attack and the consequences of keeping it hidden. It will take some time to research the article and find out the specifics. All I know, it was not sunk! I actually took a base tour at Porthmouth in 1995 and I had the opportunity to touch it... One comment from the tour officer was that they were attacked. That's all he said....
Feb 11th, 2011 - 07:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It would have been interesting to tow it to Stanley and turn it into a museum.
now, be careful with the Chinese. Last time they purchase a ship (from Russia, sister ship of Kuznetsov) to make it a floating hotel....they turned it into their own “aircraft carrier”. So smart from Britain not giving it to the chinese.
Cheers
Yes, they've done this with four ships so far and want to do more(two russian one ex british and i can't recall the other).
Feb 11th, 2011 - 08:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0They do say people make the worse witneses. but when hundreds and hundreds see a ship, then you can be pretty certain where that ship was.
Feb 11th, 2011 - 11:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0thats why we know the mary rose was not in the falklands.[or was it] ??
It sailed with the flying dutchman, right into the battle!
Feb 11th, 2011 - 11:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0to be fair to the argies in their searches, im surprised they did not mention the German ship Graf Spee , that came to their aid.
Feb 12th, 2011 - 01:15 am - Link - Report abuse 0but then again witnesses said the British carriers sunk it again,
poor Argentina still no luck ??
@25
Feb 12th, 2011 - 12:47 pm - Link - Report abuse +1“Aside from the pilots personal accounts and mission records, there were reports from n port officials stating the UK had requested repair services for this very ship. Also, several people saw this ship being towed into Gibraltar.”
Awww come on Martin, surely you can come up with better, maybe a reliable link/picture etc...
Yes your pilots did fire an excocet at Invincible, however it was shot down before it made contact.
Why would UK request repair services from Venezuela if it was a so called 'secret' and why Venezuela of all countries?
As stated by others, you don't tow an aircraft carrier into any port with only several people noticing, the world media was hungry for any news regarding the conflict, hiding a damaged carrier just isn't possible.
It is also strange how this theory changed from Invincible being sunk to Invincible being damaged, just a little reminder about the so called sunken Canberra that returned your POW's.
Hmmm you folks don't do yourselves any favours do you?
well I suppose the way to solve this , is when the next invasion comes we will keep a book on all the ships then.
Feb 12th, 2011 - 07:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0oops sorry their wont be another invasion will there.
your not allowed to fight it would be illegal
Martin fantasyman - please explain how independent non British media were onboard her shortly after the surrender and saw her fully opeating an operational - leading the Falklands Fleet in fact as Hermes had set off back to Uk by then?
Feb 12th, 2011 - 10:52 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Find me the Arg Airforce crew that hit her, and the time and date?
is it not true that one of the carriers were carrying nuclear weapons,
Feb 12th, 2011 - 10:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0britain never declares if ships do or do not, but the book
[flattering the passions, by hugh beach & nadine gurr] suggests they may very did have ??
that surely has to be an argentine sourced rumour, its utterly ridiculous !
Feb 13th, 2011 - 02:29 am - Link - Report abuse +1ha ha yes correct .
Feb 13th, 2011 - 09:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0No its not true that the ships were carrying nukes. The ships sailed with them on board as it would have taken too long to remove them. They were removed at Ascension, cross-decked to an RFA and returned to the UK. The task force sailed with about 25% of the UK nuclear arsenal, so they were very quiet about removing it and returning it to the UK.
Feb 13th, 2011 - 10:05 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Before the attack, for all you “experts” out there
Feb 14th, 2011 - 02:16 pm - Link - Report abuse -1http://www.flickr.com/photos/guillephil/3407059684/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guillephil/3407059684/sizes/l/
Well that's conclusive Martin, you've proven that “HMS Invincible” was written on the side of a missile...well done. You plank.
Feb 14th, 2011 - 03:19 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Harsh, West, it also shows they knew how to spell Invincible, and that must count for something.
Feb 14th, 2011 - 03:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Come to think of it I'm sure I had a 22 bullet with 'Martin' written on it lying around here somewhere. You still with us Martin? Maaaartiiiiin......
I had some german friends who could not accept that nazi germany lost the war,it is a psychological reaction of the loosers.
Feb 15th, 2011 - 03:06 am - Link - Report abuse 0One of you asked which crew was responsible for the attack on the 'Invincible', there it is, THE WHOLE DAMN CREW in full color.
Feb 15th, 2011 - 03:47 am - Link - Report abuse -1The same imbecile is going to ask next... “oh, but... show me their fingerprint!!” Well shit... I don't have a copy of their fingerprints, I guess you've won.
Morons..
@44 Martin, you are the moron, senor martino, and it shows in so many ways.
Feb 15th, 2011 - 09:35 am - Link - Report abuse +1you never even damaged the two aircraft carriers-yet you say you did.
you don't own the Falklands & you know that you do not-yet you say that you do
you have no honour, you are a nation of liars
He claims Invincible was sunk with an Exocet anti ship missile.
Feb 15th, 2011 - 01:19 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Then sends us a picture of the VERY exocet that sunk the Invincible with Invincibles name on the missile! proof, it seems...Except..
That's not an Exocet missile. It's far to large to be an anti ship missile. Clearly it is an unguided drop bomb.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Super_Etendard_ARA_204.jpg
Here is the very jet that sunk the Conveyor, with an Exocet in the background.
My mistake. The missile in the background is not an exocet. This is an exocet missile:
Feb 15th, 2011 - 01:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Exocet_AM39_P1220892.jpg
does anyone have a recent picture of the invincible,
Feb 15th, 2011 - 08:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0or will Argentina think it is a drone..
In August 1982, Navy News published pictures of Vinny and Lusty when they met in the South Atlantic. Look them up, I'm sure they're around somewhere.
Feb 15th, 2011 - 10:41 pm - Link - Report abuse -1As it happens my Dad was part of the dockyard party still on Lusty at the time, he saw it for himself.
@44
Feb 16th, 2011 - 12:01 am - Link - Report abuse +1No one ever said there was no RG attack attempted on the Invincible you knob, we just maintain that you didn't sink or even damage her.
You, Martin, are a cretin...still...that goes with being a pathetic Malvinist keyboard warrior doesn't it, why don't you and I(diot) get out of your cave and go have a drink.
yes to #50, and take that other plonker, xbox with you. hopefully you'll all get drunk then beat the hell out of each other
Feb 16th, 2011 - 09:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0Mind you if you put all the argie bloggers in the same room, how long would it be before they were fighting over who realy was an argentinian and who were the pirates .
Feb 16th, 2011 - 03:25 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Interesting !
Feb 17th, 2011 - 05:24 am - Link - Report abuse 0” ... The most important ELINT and radar MASINT cooperation between Britain and France was detailed radar information on the French Exocet anti-shipping missile, which had already sunk HMS Sheffield and threatened other ships. While the Argentines had only five Exocets, each could kill a ship, and they were trying to get more. Mitterrand's analyst disclosed several comments from Mitterrand during the Falklands war, specifically dealing with the British request for detailed information on the Exocet, so electronic countermeasures (ECM) could be planned to misdirect it. Mitterrand, according to his analyst, said, “I had a difference of opinion to settle with the Iron Lady. What an impossible woman, that Thatcher! “With her four nuclear submarines on mission in the southern Atlantic, she threatens to launch the atomic weapon against Argentina — unless I supply her with the secret codes that render deaf and blind the missiles we have sold to the Argentineans. Margaret has given me very precise instructions on the telephone.”
Thatcher had already been surprised by an offer of French assistance. Again according to the analyst, Jacques Attali, his former aide, said that Mitterrand called her on the day after the Argentine invasion and told her: “I am with you.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signals_intelligence_by_alliances,_nations_and_industries
Maybe nuclear war was closer than I recall !
Mitterrand told his analyst “She is furious. She blames me personally for this new Trafalgar . . . I have been forced to yield. She has them now, the [Exocet radar] codes. If our customers find out that the French wreck the weapons they sell, it’s not going to reflect well on our exports..”
Vive La France!
Feb 17th, 2011 - 09:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0the French are a comming.
Feb 17th, 2011 - 01:10 pm - Link - Report abuse +1france and brazil march south onwards to claim argentina and the hand of god lolol
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