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Author Topic: Ark Royal scrapping  (Read 22759 times)

carlmt

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #50 on: May 20, 2013, 10:01:03 pm »

As viewed from the bridge of the Bretagne on Sunday evening:
 

 
Carl

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #51 on: May 20, 2013, 10:13:05 pm »

just looked it up on AIS,showing the tug but nothing indicating what she is towing.Sadly she will be too far offshore when she gets to this area (Cornwall)
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BrianB6

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #52 on: May 22, 2013, 02:53:39 am »

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Colin Bishop

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #53 on: May 22, 2013, 08:49:35 am »

I know, as said above, I watched her!
Colin
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Jerry C

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #54 on: May 22, 2013, 09:25:16 am »

It's all very sad. I was on Sun London when she towed HMS Scylla from Portsmouth to Plymouth. Going aboard to rig the emergency towline was awful. She was totally gutted and full of pigeons and droppings. Full of ghosts and memories. But they all have to go in the end. The newer ones don't seem to last as long as the older ones. Scylla will carry on as a diving reef for a long time to come which is better than being made into razor blades.
Jerry.

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #55 on: May 22, 2013, 03:41:07 pm »

 <*< Don't you think it would have been better to wait till you have built the new carrier before scrapping Ark Royal I bet they could have squeezed a few more years out of her,Ray <*< <*< <*<
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F4TCT

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #56 on: May 22, 2013, 03:43:20 pm »

Hadn't she just had a big refit before the announcement they were retiring her?



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Colin Bishop

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #57 on: May 22, 2013, 04:10:14 pm »

Quote
Hadn't she just had a big refit before the announcement they were retiring her?
Yes, £12m less than 18 months before. A lot of the gear had to be ripped out again for spares etc. in other ships but I imagine that the special go faster antifouling paint must have been a total waste....
 
Colin
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derekwarner

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #58 on: May 22, 2013, 11:51:11 pm »

Jerry C says...."It's all very sad" ............. I agree...I was at work the day in 1985 when our decommissioned HMAS Melbourne [Majestic class carrier] was towed out of Sydney heads bound for scrapping in China
Ill-fated or jinxed were just two names associated with her after 156 naval ratings [in total] died when on two occasions Melbourne and another war ship collided just off the coast of Jervis Bay
Many more dockyard workers later suffered from asbestos related conditions as just below the wooden flight deck.....the steam arrester gear was lagged with open blue asbestos  >>:-(
NB....the colour shown is the term for a type of asbestos material in it's natural condition....Derek
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #59 on: May 23, 2013, 11:59:56 am »

Quote
wooden flight deck

Wooden flight deck?! The light fleet carriers used the flight deck as a strength deck and it was made of steel.
 
Colin
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derekwarner

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #60 on: May 23, 2013, 11:53:03 pm »

Yes  :embarrassed: ...a construction TYPO Colin.....Melbourne's arrester deck was ablative coated steel.......the catapult deck rails sections were smooth painted steel........
I had never worked on Melbourne & made one trip only to board the vessel after her de-commissioning....when she was tied up at 'Rotten Row'......at that time the full length & width of her steam catapult deck rails were covered in GREEN stained timbers approx. 6"wide x 3/4"thick ???? .......Derek
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #61 on: May 24, 2013, 04:55:24 pm »

Arks departure coincided with my day off, so no need for skiving off work this time. The prelude was provided by a Type 45.
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #62 on: May 24, 2013, 05:00:14 pm »

I have never seen crowds gathered like this for a vessel being towed away for scrapping, homecomings yes, but this...I'm glad I left the car at home..
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #63 on: May 24, 2013, 05:03:34 pm »

Back at The Point, you could see Ark Royal being eased off of the jetty, while her tug for the final voyage preceded here out the harbour.
She looked stern heavy. I believe this is prefered for ocean tows.
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #64 on: May 24, 2013, 05:08:58 pm »

Moving back to Quebec House, we waited for the final departure of another piece of Royal Navy history..
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #65 on: May 24, 2013, 05:11:10 pm »

Looking every bit a Ghost Ship, and with one long blast on the horn of the lead tug, she passed us and Round Tower for the last time..
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #66 on: May 24, 2013, 05:13:50 pm »

The mass of people who turned out for her departure all seemed to follow Ark on her journey along the Hot Walls on this grey day.
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #67 on: May 24, 2013, 05:14:58 pm »

And with that, she was gone.
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Netleyned

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #68 on: May 24, 2013, 05:24:01 pm »

Two generations have never seen a real carrier.
The Ark and Eagle went off with a lot less wailing and gnashing of
teeth and they were Aircraft Carriers
I am proud to say I have served on three real carriers

Ned
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #69 on: May 24, 2013, 05:45:04 pm »

I think most of the public interest was generated by the local press, TV, radio and newspapers seemed to be 'creating' a newsworthy event. I remember Hermes departing at about 7:30am for a new life in India,with no 'hoo ha' whatsoever. And I believe her contribution to recent history warranted more of a send off than she got.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #70 on: May 24, 2013, 06:28:38 pm »

I think the difference with Ark Royal is that an awful lot of people are deeply unhappy with the way that the Navy, and indeed the armed forces in general, have been subject to deep cuts for largely political reasons which have not been fully thought through and which may be greatly regretted in the future. The decommissioning of Ark Royal which was a fully functioning and very useful major naval unit came to symbolize that concern. And of course, just a few months later she would have been extremely handy during the Libya situation and would  probably have avoided the need to fly RAF aircraft from Italian bases which cost rather more than was admitted and which was jeopardised by the Italians wanting to curtail the flights before the operation was over. Relying on your 'allies' to make available facilities when you feel you need them is a stupid policy, they invariably have their own interests which may not accord with yours.
I saw a quote yesterday extolling the virtues of the Type 45 Darings saying that we have no less than six of them. The writer was clearly unaware that the original requirement was for 12 to replace the ships already taken out of commission.
In general, the present Government and Opposition are 'know nothings' when it comes to defence although Philip Hammond is showing some signs of awareness of the potential dangers. By all means cut down on inefficiencies and waste in the MOD but don't confuse that with the Government's very basic obligations for the Defence of the Realm. History demonstrates only too clearly that crises can come seemingly out of nowhere, Libya was just a minor example. Adequate defence capability is a form of national insurance, not an optional activity depending on whatever happens to be the flavour of the month.
Colin
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Circlip

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #71 on: May 24, 2013, 07:19:16 pm »

Don't worry, if Labour get back in at the next bunfight they'll go on a big spending spree and we'll have ten flat tops, fifty seven destroyers and cruisers and twenty submarines.   :-))
 
 Regards  Ian.
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dodes

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #72 on: May 24, 2013, 08:27:27 pm »

The last lot cut more in the R N than this lot, through slow down on slow on spending delaying major projects and scrapping. Bases were more important than ships because of votes, the 22's being scrapped a few years ago would have been rebuilt in the old Royal Dockyard system, but with conversion to Naval Bases and the whole sale sacking of the trades and putting out to tender refits and repairs, the skilled trades do not exist in this country to refurbish vessels anymore. I remember the old Leander's being completely gutted at Chatham including the boilers going ashore to the boiler factory, then being rebuilt to new condition.
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spearfish99

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #73 on: May 26, 2013, 04:56:21 pm »

I think that Colin Bishop has hit the nail in the appropriate position!. We currently have a government which is prepared to spend mega billions to replace our nuclear subs and their attendant Trident missiles. They wave this about as the way to protect our national sovereignty.
Realistically, it is pretty difficult to see who they are protecting us against. Not the traditional enemies of China or Russia .Anyone else issueing a threat would be more appropriately dealt with by use of cruise missiles or conventional air attacks. Given that we cannot fire the damn missiles without the express permission of the USA who I believe hold the activate keys and given that it is hard to see which our the current batch of politicians has the b..ls to do it!
A conventionally armed Navy/Fleet Air Arm and a adequate Air Force would surely be  the way to protect these shores. Also give credit to those on the ground in Afganistan currently ,whose lives appear to me to be being spent for not much in the way of tangible results in a country that shows no great joy at what we are doing supposedly on their behalf.
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pugwash

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Re: Ark Royal scrapping
« Reply #74 on: May 26, 2013, 06:28:37 pm »

Sorry Spearfish but the authority to fire British Nukes rests with the PM and not the colonial cousins
I know it is a large article but down near the bottom are the details for firing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_the_United_Kingdom
 
Geoff
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