Ship Spotter Steve
  • Home
  • Bulk Carriers
  • Cement Carriers
  • Container Ships
  • Crude Oil Tankers
  • Cruise Ships
  • Dredgers
  • Ferries
  • Fishing Vessels
  • General Cargo Ships
  • Military & Law Enforcement
  • Off Shore Supply/Safety/Support
  • Pilot Vessels
  • Research Ships
  • Sailing Ships
  • Tankers
  • Tugs
  • Vehicle Carriers
  • Misc
  • Funnels
  • Work Boats
  • Pleasure Boats & Yachts
  • Tenders & Launches
  • Prints, Postcards & Paintings
  • Buildings, Monuments & Places
  • Yearly Statistics
  • Ship List
  • Links
  • Blog
  • Blog Index
Contact me

HMS ILLUSTRIOUS (R06)

27/5/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
On 16 February 2013 HMS Illustrious visited Liverpool and I was lucky enough to get on board. After accessing via a gangplank on the starboard side we were able to tour the hanger and flight deck where a couple of helicopters were on display.

She is the second of the three Invincible class aircraft carriers and was laid down in 1976 at Swan Hunter on the River Tyne as Yard No. 102. She was  launched in 1978 and formally commissioned on 20 March 1983.

She has a displacement of 22,000 tonnes, 209m Length, 36m beam and 7.7m draught and is powered by 4 Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines providing 97,000 hp (75 MW). These give her a top speed of 30 knots and a cruising range of 5000 nautical miles at 18 Knots.

Her full complement consists of 685 crew in addition to 366 Fleet Air Arm personnel.

Armament consists of 3 × Goalkeeper CIWS (Close In Weapon Systems), these are 7 barrelled 30mm calibre weapons with a rate of fire of 4200 rounds/ minute and an effective range of between 350m and 2000m depending on ammunition type together with 2 × GAM-B01 20 mm close-range guns. 

She can also carry up to 22 helicopters.

Although she was completed too late to take part in the Falklands War she was deployed to the South Atlantic after hostilities and remained on station until the airfield was repaired. 

Since the 1980's she has taken part in numerous operations in many different parts of the World. 

Illustrious now acts as a helicopter carrier following the recent axing of her Harrier contingent and is due for withdrawal from the Royal Navy in 2014.
Picture
Picture
Photograph of the ski ramp which was used by Harriers leaving the ship.
Picture
Sea King helicopter on the flight deck.
Picture
View of the bridge
Picture
One of 814 Squadron (The Flying Tigers) helicopters on the flight deck. The pod beneath the cockpit contains the Blue Kestrel radar.
Picture
View down the starboard side of the ship
Picture
Photograph of the rear of the island.
Picture
View in the hanger of the rear flight deck lift mechanism.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My interest in ships and the sea started back in 2006 when I worked for a couple of years  on the banks of the River Mersey. I have since been on a couple of cruises around the Med and in the Far East and have started to take more interest in researching and photographing some of the ships and other vessels seen on my travels.

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.