From The Archive (13)
12 May 2016 1 Comment
HMS Illustrious in Istanbul on 16 May 2008. Note the near loss of one Merlin HM Mk2 as the brakes malfunctioned. She was the host of Queen Elisabeth’s reception. HMS Illustrious was decommissioned in 2014 and currently is for sale.
turkishnavy.net 
Bye bye “Lusty”. Many attempts have been made to save her as a floating naval and aviation museum, but nobody could come up with the money, insurance, or guarantees of long term funding, so sadly, she is bound for the scrap man. I just can’t see a foreign nation buying her, as she is an “in between design”, and would need too much investment to bring up to date for any navy, and pretty sure she is bound for dismantling for scrap. Thanks for the service old girl.