Sailing no longer

Another view of the carrier HMS Ark Royal awaiting her fate at Devonport in 1980. She was the fourth Royal Navy ship to bear the name, her illustrious predecessor, the wartime Ark Royal having been torpedoed and sunk en route to Gibraltar. Ark Royal number four was launched in 1950 and design changes delayed her commissioning until 1955. She underwent a number of refits with a major modernisation in the late 1960s to enable her to operate American Phantom aircraft.

In 1976, the BBC filmed a documentary on board and this series, 'Sailor' became associated with Rod Stewart's song 'Sailing', used as the programme's theme. The Captain, Wilfred Graham R.N. later became a Rear Admiral and was known as 'Big Wilf'. The other 'star' of the series was a ventriloquist's dummy called 'Little Wilf' who had his own show on board and was featured 'interviewing' Captain Graham on the Ark's bridge. A bit of leg-pulling by the lower deck taken in good part by the Captain.

All that was in the past, however, when I took my photograph and you can see that the radar aerials have been removed (no doubt a lot of other stuff as well). Mutterings were made for her preservation but the authorities would have none of it and away she went to Cairnryan for cutting. It would have been a hell of a job to preserve her though and there was a rumour at the time that she had more or less rusted in half and was only just holding together. I find that difficult to believe.

The City of Plymouth lies behind the great ship.