Final voyage for beloved Lusty

Crowds line harbour to wave farewell as former aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious sets sail for Turkish scrapyard

Sailors of all ranks from ratings to admirals have joined hundreds of people to wave off the Royal Navy’s former aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious as it was towed away to a Turkish scrapyard.

The 22,000 tonne ship, affectionately known as “Lusty”, sailed from its home at Portsmouth Naval Base for the final time with crowds lining the harbour walls to say their farewells.

The ship, a shadow of its former glory with its paint peeling and engines ripped out, was pulled by a tug into the Solent.

Former sailors gave a salute and three cheers as it sailed past the Round Tower in Old Portsmouth, the traditional vantage point for families to see warships arriving and leaving the historic base.

Illustrious was formally decommissioned in August 2014 after 32 years of service and has been sold to the Turkish company LEYAL Ship Recycling Ltd for about £2 million.

The sale came despite proposals to turn it into a floating hotel, museum or even a centre for powerboats.

Following the retirement of the Harrier aircraft in 2010, Illustrious went on to serve as one of the Navy’s two helicopter carriers.

This has left the service without a fixed-wing aircraft carrier until the first of the next generation of carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is due to be commissioned next year.

Defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: “Over three decades Illustrious set the highest standards for service that the Royal Navy will continue with HMS Queen Elizabeth when she arrives into Portsmouth next year.

“Backed by a rising defence budget, our new aircraft carriers will lead a growing Royal Navy as Britain steps up to defend our country and our interests.”

Captain Jerry Kyd, former commanding officer of HMS Illustrious and current CO of HMS Queen Elizabeth, said: “Lusty provided a world-class service to the Royal Navy and we bid her goodbye with fond memories.

“As she leaves Portsmouth I’m looking forward to the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth, which will ensure that we remain a global maritime power.”

David Stares, 51, from Fareham, who served as an able seaman aboard Illustrious between 1982 and 1985, said: “She was a lovely ship, she was cutting edge technology. Now she’s gone despite a lot of people wanting to save her. She was a brilliant ship, great crew.”

Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, former First Sea Lord and CO of Illustrious, said: “It’s a sad day but it’s better to describe it as a day of reflection and to think about your time on the ship concerned and I was lucky enough to command her for two years.”

David Rogers, chairman of the HMS Illustrious Association, added: “It is obviously quite sad that she is going – she served the country well for some 32 years – but it is inevitable that she is going to make way for the Queen Elizabeth class carriers.”

Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire. Spectators line the harbour as HMS Illustrious is pulled by tug boat and piped into the Solent at the start of her journey to a Turkish scrapyard.