And despite work being greatly sped up, the war was won before she could be finished.
HMS Illustrious did perform a useful service in the aftermath of the Falklands War.
She was the fifth warship and the second aircraft carrier to have the name Illustrious.
The crew of HMS Illustrious knew her by the affectionate nickname Lusty.
In the 1990s she was deployed to Iraq for Operation Southern Watch and Bosnia for Operation Deny Flight.
Then in 2000 HMS Illustrious was deployed to Sierra Leone for Operation Palliser.
After 32 years’ service, she was formally decommissioned on 28 August 2014 but she wasn’t replaced until HMS Queen Elizabeth's commissioning in 2017.
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5. Aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious
A general view of helicopters on the flight deck of HMS Illustrious May 10, 2013. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Photo: The News archive
6. Aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious
Crew member ETME Turnley seen working in the engine room onboard HMS Illustrious in May 10, 2013. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Photo: The News archive
7. Aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious
A general view of a Merlin helicopter on the flight deck of HMS Illustrious. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Photo: The News archive
8. Aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious
Computer equipment that was on the bridge on HMS Illustrious. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Photo: The News archive