HMS ARK ROYAL
Name Meaning : Ark Something that affords protection and safety
Her original name was to be Ark, but with the custom for the ship to bear then owners name, making her firstly to be Sir Walter Raleigh, as it was due to be his ship. However she was bought by Queen Elizabeth I, so became Ark Royal.
Ark Royal 1587 - 1638
Built in Depford originally for Sir Walter Raleigh, the English gallon which had 42 guns was purchased by the crown for a sum of £5,000 for use in the Tudor Navy.
Ark Royal’s first saw action against the Spanish Armada in 1588 and 1599, as one of the largest vessels in the English fleet.
Flagship of Lord High Admiral Howard she was most effective as a warship with two gun decks , but did tend to roll heavily.
In 1596 was flagship again on the attack at Cadiz, which saw the destruction of most of the Spanish fleet in port.
Renamed “Anne Royal” by James IV and I, after his consort, Anne of Denmark, after his accession to the English throne in 1608.
Suffered self inflicted damage while in shallow waters in 1636 and sunk. Despite being raised at a huge cost, she was found to be damaged beyond repair and broken up in 1638.
HMS Ark Royal 1914 - 1950
Pennant Number : 91
Designed and constructed as the first ship to carry seaplanes when purchased by the Royal Navy in 1914.
Built in Blyth, Northumberland she participated in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 and her aircraft supported troops on the Macedonian Front in 1916.
At the end of the war her duties was as a aircraft transport and depot ship for a number of operations involving British troops.
Ark Royal was twice mothballed, 1920 & 1923, but recommissioned as a training ship in 1930 for pilots to learn catapult operations and techniques.
Renamed in 1934 as HMS Pegasus, thus allowing the name to be available for the new aircraft carrier ordered that year.
Assigned to the home fleet and continued to serve until 1944, when Pegasus was converted into a barracks ship, then sold out of service in 1946, then broken up in 1950.
HMS Ark Royal 1950 - 1979
Pennant Number : R09
Nickname : The Mighty Ark
Motto : “ Desire does not rest “
One of two Audacious class aircraft carriers, her sister being, HMS Eagle was launched 4 years earlier in 1946, and were the largest aircraft carriers ever built by the Royal Navy.
In fact the ship was originally due to be named, Irresistible however the loss of HMS Ark Royal in 1941, facilitated the name change. HMS Ark Royal was named on 3rd May 1950 by Queen Elizabeth
The fourth ship to be called Ark Royal was ordered on 18th March 1942, with construction undertaken by Cammell Laird, on the banks of the River Mersey being delayed by design changes with Commissioning finally taken place on 22nd February 1955.
Participated in numerous military exercises as part of the British fleet and NATO, but saw no combat duties in her career.
At the start of her career,Ark Royal had a complement of up to 50 aircraft including Sea Venoms, Skyraiders, Gannets and Sea Hawks. Ark Royal was the first air craft carrier with a angled flight deck and steam
catapults.
Ark Royal led the Royal Navy tribute to Queen Elizabeth II ,at the Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977 at Spithead in the Solent.
A major television fly on the wall documentary was produced by the BBC, showing life onboard Ark Royal in 1976, called Sailor. The theme tune called sailing was sang by Rod Stewart.
After a mere 24 year career, Ark Royal arrived in Devonport, Plymouth on 3rd December 1978, with decommissioning following on 14th February 1979.
She was sold for scrap in 1980 and towed to Cairryan, near Stranraer and finally cut up in 1983.
HMS Ark Royal 1981 - 2011
Pennant Number : R07
Nickname : “The Mighty Ark”
Motto : “Zeal Does Not Rest “
One of the three Invincible class light aircraft carriers build by Swan & Hunter, Tyne and Wear, launched on 2nd June 1981, by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
The intended name was due to be Indomitable, to match HMS Invincible and HMS Illustrious.However the public resentment to the loss of the name Ark Royal, after the scrapping of the previous ship in 1980, forced the name change.
Differing her sisters, by being slightly larger and having a slightly steeper ski jump ramp, Ark Royal was powered by four Rolls Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines and eight Paxman Valenta diesel generators with a top speed of 28 knots (32mph) and at 22,000 tones, she was a impressive sight.
Harrier jump aircraft and various helicopters were carried on Ark Royal along with over 1,000 sailors and aircrew.
Ark Royal was deployed to the Adriatic Sea in 1993 during the Bosnian war (1992-1995) band to the Persian Gulf for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.
After a second major refit, completed in 2007, Ark Royal regained her title as the flagship of the Royal Navy from sister ship, HMS Illustrious.
The eruption in Iceland, that led to major disruption to air travel across Europe being suspended temporally, in April 2010, saw Ark Royal along with HMS Ocean sent across the English Channel to assist with rescuing travellers, in Operation Cullingham.
Despite a expected retirement date of 2016 ,a review of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010 announced that HMS Ark Royal would be decommissioned . Ark Royal arrived in her home port of Portsmouth on 19th October 2010 and was laid up prior to her decommissioning.
Such was the respect the British public had for the ship that events were held to commemorate her retirement including, a farewell parade through Portsmouth, a open day on board the ship, Portsmouth football club even added the ships’s motto to the next season’s kit. A campaign was launched to retain the name for a future planned carrier.
HMS Ark Royal was decommissioned on 11th March 2011 at Portsmouth, after a 25 year career.
Numerous proposals to save Ark Royal ranged from a museum, a floating helipad in London, hospital ship and scuttling her off the coast of Devon to create a artificial reef were discussed and never materialised and she was sold for scrap to a Turkish scrapyard .
Her final voyage was made on 10th June 2013.
Various parts of Ark Royal (1950-1979) were saved as memorials to the ship and her crew. For example an anchor is located at Fleet Air Arm museum at Yeovilton, along side sister HMS Eagle’s anchor and one in Plymouth.
Photo credit for badge : R Payling