MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands' veteran ex HMS Hermes to decommissioned by Indian Navy
She is the last of the Centaur-class carriers and is the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the world. Aircraft carrier from Portsmouth that fought in the Falklands War is making her final journey before being decommissioned after almost 60 years of active service. HMS Hermes served with distinction in the conflict against Argentina in 1982 before being sold to the Indian Navy and renamed INS Viraat.
Originally named after the winged messenger of the Greek gods, HMS Hermes was one of the workhorses of the Royal Navy for almost 30 years, serving from 1959 to 1984 and was the flagship of the British taskforce sent to the Falkland Islands.
She is the last of the Centaur-class carriers and is the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the world.
For more than a decade she served as India’s only aircraft carrier, operating in the Indian Ocean.
The vessel now has one final mission before being decommissioned which will see her taking part in the International Fleet Review on February 4.
After this she will remain at Visakhapatnam to wait her decommissioning, with an official date still to be set by the Indian Defence Ministry.
Initial plans had suggested that the carrier could be converted into a floating museum, however, this still needs to be agreed by officials
Top Comments
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Read all commentsDidn't Argentina claim to have sunk her, about 5 times?
Jan 28th, 2016 - 08:00 am +1I think at one point the Junta claimed a Pucara attacked her,the pilot was killed and his aircraft destroyed in the first attack on Goose Green!
Jan 28th, 2016 - 08:43 am +1Rubbish! Its at the bottom of the South Atlantic.
Jan 28th, 2016 - 12:26 pm +1The Argentine Ministry of Truth said so in 1982, they managed to sink it 5 times.
This equates to the 'truth' according to the Argentine Ministry of Truth alluding to the Malvinas Myth.
Someone should tell the Indians they were sold a different aircraft carrier, because we were too embarrassed to admit that the Argentines had sunk it and even more too embarrassed to admit we salvaged it 4 times to get it back into action, *red face*
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