HMS Ocean sets sail from Portsmouth for the last time before being sold to Brazil

BRITAIN'S current naval flagship, HMS Ocean, sailed out of Portsmouth for the final time before she decommissions from the Royal Navy.
HMS Ocean sails from Portsmouth for the last timeHMS Ocean sails from Portsmouth for the last time
HMS Ocean sails from Portsmouth for the last time

The helicopter carrier and assault ship arrived in the city on Friday for a brief stopover before returning to her homeport of Devonport, in Plymouth today.

Captain Robert Pedre, Ocean’s commanding officer, said: ‘It was fitting that the fleet flagship had this opportunity to bid farewell to the city before decommissioning; a visit that was all the more poignant for the many members of my ship’s company that are privileged to call this historic naval city home.’

Ocean has served the nation for two decades.

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Since commissioning into the navy in 1998 she has been involved in Operation Palliser during the Sierra Leone civil war in 2000, Operation Telic off the coast of Iraq in 2003 and Operation Ellamy as part of an international coalition in Libya in 2011.

Most recently, she was involved in the hurricane relief operations in the Caribbean, supporting inhabitants of four islands who had been battered by Hurricane Irma, last year.

She has also helped evacuate British nationals and other entitled personnel from numerous areas of conflict around the world and delivered humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to thousands in need to name but a few of her operational highlights.

Last month it was revealed the warship had been sold to the Brazillian navy for £84m.