32 years of senior service

The Royal Navy warship was the fifth to be named Illustrious

At 690ft, it weighed 22,000 tons, equal to 1,740 doubledecker buses Top speed: 35mph Crew: 685 Spent 32 years in service – commissioned June 1982, decommissioned August 2014

Completion brought forward to be rushed into Falklands War. Also deployed in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Sierra Leone conflicts

Distance travelled: Over 100,000 miles, equal to four times round the globe

Aircraft carried: Harrier jets until 2010; then up to 22 helicopters, including Apache and Chinook

In 2013 it took 500 tons of relief aid to Philippines after typhoon Haiyan