"Invincible" had to await the arrival of newly-commissioned sister ship "Illustrious" carrying a reformed No.809 Sea Harrier squadron and the first early airborne warning Sea Kings. Reaching the Falklands on the 27th August after leaving Portsmouth on 2nd August, and after a day's vertrep, "Invincible" is at last able to head north on the 28th accompanied by "Bristol" and later RFA "Olna", arriving at Portsmouth on the 17th September to be met by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. After 166 days at sea, "Invincible" claims the record for the longest continuous carrier operations ever. Naval History

Originally posted by Popeye
How do you explain the carriers homecoming on about the 17th September, was a national event watched live on television, lots of Invincible sailor families on the dockside etc... the last great ship to return from the war ... I have pictures in a book

"Invincible" had to await the arrival of newly-commissioned sister ship "Illustrious" carrying a reformed No.809 Sea Harrier squadron and the first early airborne warning Sea Kings. Reaching the Falklands on the 27th August after leaving Portsmouth on 2nd August, and after a day's vertrep, "Invincible" is at last able to head north on the 28th accompanied by "Bristol" and later RFA "Olna", arriving at Portsmouth on the 17th September to be met by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. After 166 days at sea, "Invincible" claims the record for the longest continuous carrier operations ever. Naval History

In the next few years, the Sea Harrier is to be retired, with the three squadrons that use the type being disbanded between early 2004 and 2006. After that, RAF Harriers will make up all of the fixed wing aircraft that operate on board the ships. Officially, Invincible will decommission in 2010, Illustrious in 2012, and Ark Royal in 2015, as two new, much larger aircraft carriers are introduced into service to replace the ships. Invincible has been mothballed in 2005 (available for reactivation on notice), and rumors continue that one of the ships upon decommissioning will be converted into a full LPH to complement HMS Ocean in that role. The future Royal Navy carriers and are due to enter service coincident with the decommissioning of Illustrious and Ark Royal and are expected to displace around 60,000 tonnes each - three times the displacement of the Invincible class.

Whatever the truth of those rumours, it is undisputed that the ships have given fine service to the Royal Navy during their careers. Invincible played a large part in winning the largest naval war since WWII, and they have kept Royal Navy fixed wing aviation alive through a very lean period.

The sixth and current HMS Invincible (R05) is a light aircraft carrier, the lead ship of three in her class.

She was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering. She was laid down in 1973, and launched on 3 May 1977. The ship commissioned on July 11, 1980, and joined the older carriers Hermes and Bulwark in service. After 25 years of service she sailed into Portsmouth Naval Base for the last time on 1 August 2005 [1]. HMS Illustrious succeeded Invincible as the service's flagship.

On July 6, 2005 the Ministry of Defence announced that HMS Invincible would be mothballed until 2010, available for reactivation on 3-months notice. On August 1, 2005 she sailed into Portsmouth for the last time to be decommissioned on August 3, 2005.

See HMS Invincible for other ships of the same name.

Originally posted by deltaboy
en.wikipedia.org...

In the next few years, the Sea Harrier is to be retired, with the three squadrons that use the type being disbanded between early 2004 and 2006. After that, RAF Harriers will make up all of the fixed wing aircraft that operate on board the ships. Officially, Invincible will decommission in 2010, Illustrious in 2012, and Ark Royal in 2015, as two new, much larger aircraft carriers are introduced into service to replace the ships. Invincible has been mothballed in 2005 (available for reactivation on notice), and rumors continue that one of the ships upon decommissioning will be converted into a full LPH to complement HMS Ocean in that role. The future Royal Navy carriers and are due to enter service coincident with the decommissioning of Illustrious and Ark Royal and are expected to displace around 60,000 tonnes each - three times the displacement of the Invincible class.

Whatever the truth of those rumours, it is undisputed that the ships have given fine service to the Royal Navy during their careers. Invincible played a large part in winning the largest naval war since WWII, and they have kept Royal Navy fixed wing aviation alive through a very lean period.

how do u decommision a sunken sink?

www.royal-navy.mod.uk...