‘I’d rather see Ark Royal sunk than cut up for scrap’
SCUBA SITE HMS Ark Royal
A BID to sink the former Royal Navy flagship HMS Ark Royal as a site for scuba diving enthusiasts has been welcomed by one of the great ship’s former captains.
Rear Admiral Terry Loughran told The News he’d rather see the axed aircraft carrier end her days under the sea than in pieces at a foreign scrap yard like sister ship HMS Invincible.
The Ministry of Defence said no final decision has been made about the fate of the Ark Royal, which was controversially decommissioned three years early as part of the government’s 2010 defence cuts.
But Rear-Adml Loughran, who commanded the Ark from 1993 to 1994 during the Bosnian conflict, urged the MoD not to send the Portsmouth-based warship to a breakers’ yard.
He said: ‘Whilst I’m still very sad to see the passing of what was a very fine ship which suffered a premature demise, I’d much rather see her have a proper burial at sea where she will bring years of joy for enthusiasts than have those terrible images of her being broken up in a foreign scrap yard.’
The Ark Royal was put up for sale on the MoD’s auction website last year.
It came just a few months after the Invincible was sold to Turkish-based scrap firm Leyal Ship Recycling for an estimated £2m.
As well as the usual bids from scrap metal merchants, the 20,000-tonne Ark Royal also attracted interest as a potential floating tourist attraction in Gibraltar, a heliport in London, nightclub and school in China, or as a casino in Hong Kong.
But a late offer from a charity called Wreck the World could see the 210-metre ship turned into an artificial reef off the coast of south Devon.
The bid has received £6.5m backing from the scrap metal firm GH Newbery and Son, and defence engineering firm A&P Falmouth.
If it’s successful, the former warship could be sunk as soon as this summer.
The bid has divided opinion within the navy, with some sources expressing alarm at a potential public relations gaffe if it does go ahead.
One officer said: ‘I think sinking our old flagship in UK waters could be seen as somewhat symbolic of the cuts this government has made to the Royal Navy.’
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Comments
There are 14 comments to this article
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johnpompey
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 08:00 PMwhy do we have to give it to the turks to cut up for scrap put it in d-lock and cut it up ourselves
Appy pompeii
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 04:38 PMScumstomper. - Ive always said ships should be turned into prisons it just makes sense. IT WOULD ALSO LOOK GREAT IN THE SOLENT. I know in an earlier post 5 peter said 'security and maintenance headaches. Prisoners have a habit of causing fires apart from anything else' I don't see this being a problem what so ever. He also said ' Of course, they could be docked' No the whole point is middle of the sea so they can't go anywhere. They are prisoners who cares if they set themselves on fire ?
Appy pompeii
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 04:38 PMScumstomper. - Ive always said ships should be turned into prisons it just makes sense. IT WOULD ALSO LOOK GREAT IN THE SOLENT. I know in an earlier post 5 peter said 'security and maintenance headaches. Prisoners have a habit of causing fires apart from anything else' I don't see this being a problem what so ever. He also said ' Of course, they could be docked' No the whole point is middle of the sea so they can't go anywhere. They are prisoners who cares if they set themselves on fire ?
Scumstomper.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 04:25 PMNice one Gay, but as much as we love to moan about students, they do bring in a lot of revenue to businesses in the cities around the country. Maybe convert the IOW to "studentville" instead?? Perhaps by using these ships as prison vessels and - let's be controversial here - charging guests for their stay, it may also act as a stronger deterrent to the mindless idiots out there.....Now there's an idea....
Appy pompeii
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 04:13 PMTurn it into a floating self contained university. Simple. Then there would be less fights, deaths and drunks oh and std's in Pompey :)
Scumstomper.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 03:59 PMDiving the Ark Royal wreck in the Solent - genious!! Lots of Admiral Browns floating around down there to make it more authentic too. I can see it now......Helloooooo tourists....
Appy pompeii
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 03:57 PMprison or student digs. Keep the trouble makers off our streets ;)
Sir JJ
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 03:03 PMPeter Holding, have you been scuba diving off of the coast of England???? You can hardly see your hand in front of your face. It maybe fine in Egypt where the water is clearer, cleaner and warmer, but in England, it's a waste of time. As for the prisoners setting fire to the prison ship, obviously there would be the fire prevention as there is already on the ship. Like i said, the present existing prison stock is old, run down and over crowded. Old warships and cruise liners converted to prison hulks is the perfect idea.
Tman
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 03:00 PMCut it up for scrap and get some financial return on it if Cameron can't be man enough to admit he got it all wrong and reverse the disposal decision. It's OK for silly admirals and other nicely pensioned ex-matelots to call for these romantic schemes while the rest of us suffer....
Peter Holding
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 02:52 PMI always think that long term strategies produce better answers. Prison ships are a good idea, but, in practice produce security and maintenance headaches. Prisoners have a habit of causing fires apart from anything else, a bit of a hazard when out at sea. Of course, they could be docked, but I think better solutions to sentencing and utilising existing prison stock better should be a first stop. If you look at how much income Egypt gets from scuba divers, especially those going for some of the famous wrecks, then it does give the idea of sinking it some weight. It will remain a tourist attraction for years and years, provide jobs in the tourist and diving industries and influence more people to holiday near it's site. Scuba Diving is a growing industry, only Devon and Cornwall have caught on to this in South England.
Sir JJ
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 01:58 PMPost 1, i've been saying that for years. They're moaning there is a lack of prisons, they're moaning that they are over crowded and having prison ships (like they had in Portland recently) is a brilliant idea. The more prison ships, the more the courts can hand out decent sentencing and also create more local jobs for prison officers and for civilian workers. It's a win-win situation.
Scumstomper.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 01:25 PMGood analogy...
blueshirt
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 12:58 PMradical idea, probably old-fashioned and certainly controversial.why not use a ship designed and built as an aircraft carrying warship ..........as a warship to defend our shores and maritime trade? perhaps we could reduce the amount of money given to foreign countries, and use that to enable us to actually maintain our own Royal Navy, so that it could actually do the job it was intended for which is to defend our nation and its interests........in my view, scrapping the navy in order to save money is rather like me as a householder getting rid of the padlocks and bolts on my house doors in order to save a few quid on my weekly housekeeping. It's foolish, risky and incredibly short-sighted. Still, I'm not a politician so what do i know.........?
Scumstomper.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 12:39 PMWhy not use these "surplus" vessels as prison ships? It would solve the overcrowding, which the justice system seems to make worse all by itself and provide the simple, basic accomodation that prisons should provide. It may even deter the re-offenders and those that don't seem to mind going back to the existing "holiday camp" set ups. Some of these people openly admit that they have a better life inside than they do at home, with 3 meals a day and enough recreational substances to keep them happy. Surely it wouldn't cost much to convert these ships from a security and accomodation point of view?? Anchored behind the Isle of Wight, HMS Ark Royal would also provide adequate recreation space and surely help save the tax payer money from not having to build the much needed new facilites?? The way the current regime are going, we could have a fleet review with a difference by 2013!!
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