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Invincible Class reference photos


Shar2

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Thanks for posting these Dave, very interesting views.

 

I've noticed on other forums that people have asked what colour is the hangar deck.  Your last image shows the deck to be unpainted steel and I well remember having to 'polish' the deck, with one of those big polishing machines, for a cock 'n a'se party that night!

 

Incidently, I know the internal lighting played tricks on the photography, especially with b/w photos, but what is the colour of those Sea Kings?  Is it the normal MSG?

 

cheers

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.........The hanger deck was actually painted a light grey in the middle and dark grey at each end

 

must have just been the 'early' ships I was on, such as HMS' Bulwark, Albion and Hermes, as we definitely had to polish them up.  They were like light steel when finished.

 

cheers

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The paint didn't wear very well and it was soon down to bare metal, as you can see on the ridges in the deck, but we certainly didn't have to polish the deck, only the aircraft.

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WAFU's allowed to work on the deck??  You'd be crying in your tea!
 
Anyway, back to Invincible class:
 
HMS Invincible in C Lock, with a County class in D Lock; Portsmouth 1981.  decommissioned O Class sub in the foreground in No 3 Basin.
No%203%20Basin%20looking%20West_a.jpg
 
 
HMS Invincible - LPH trials 1981 with 40 Commando on board (pre-falklands). Note the mix of Wessex; Sea King Mk4's and Gazelles.

hms_invincible_1981_-_LPH_trials_%5B40%2
 
HMS Invincible 1st Commission 1981 - HQ1 fire and emergency schematic. Note the circles for the helo spots didn't get painted on the actual flight deck.
hms_invincible_-_first_commission_layout

 

Mike

Edited by bootneck
re-insert image links that had been lost.
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I seem to remember using graphite to "bull" the hanger deck on the Hermes when we did a fashion show in Athens, must have been 1977/78.....They put a big curtain up for the girls to change behind, never seen the deep beams so full of Matelots, (not me of course, cough! cough!)....Working on the a/c afterwards was a nightmare, it was like the b&w minstrel show......Happy days??

 

Smudge

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some of mine, plus a few B&W ones from ship's phot's:

LUST at Lisbon in late 1984:

2010-11-06_20.jpg

ARK (from LUST) on Sea Trials, 1984 (note grey boot-topping, provision for Goalkeeper & big ramp):

2010-11-06_23.jpg

INVINC from LUST 1984 (note small ramp & phalanx)

2010-11-06_46.jpg

LUST at sea (note mid size ramp & phalanx on deck)

2010-11-06_67.jpg

Ilust2.jpg

Ilust3.jpg

WOW!

LustBowWave.jpg

LUSTY aft flight deck:

2012-04-15_9.jpg?t=1359578374

and looking forward:

2012-04-15_23.jpg?t=1359578377

Dogs exercise:

2010-11-06_64.jpg

taking a sip:

2010-11-06_63.jpg

Giving a tow:

2010-11-06_50.jpg

back end Phalanx

2010-11-06_9.jpg

Invading the highlands:

2010-11-06_6.jpg

IllustriousSK4.jpg

INVINC the evening after de-comissioning ceremony:

P8010003.jpg

Launch the alert 5 Granny:

P9020057.jpg

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Not really a reference photo by any means. Here's the Illustrious leaving the Solent a bit over an hour ago. Being the ship will be decommissioned next year, this will be one of the final opportunities to take this kind of phot. I took more, but they don't look much different to this one, hence no point posting them.

DSCN0375_zps5565e22a.jpg

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Couple of silly questions from post no.11.

1 What's the double Y-shaped thingy behind the two Sea Harriers in the hangar?

2 Why ever is there a Mk.2 Granada on deck???

Edited by pigsty
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Couple of silly questions from post no.11.

1 What's the double Y-shaped thingy behind the two Sea Harriers in the hangar?

2 Why ever is there a Mk.2 Granada on deck???

1. One of two yokes which raise and lower the deck lift. Seemed a good idea at the time, but they've caused no end of problems, and occasionally their failure ended in near-disaster.

2. One of the ship's cars used when the ship deploys for official business - driving senior personnel around and whatever. They're just maintaining it on the upper scupper on this occasion.

Some aircrew are also so lazy they need a lift to proceed between the far ends of the flight deck.

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What, so when these ships went abroad, they tucked a car (or more than one?) in the corner of the hangar and craned it ashore? My brother never mentioned that little perk when he was aboard Illustrious!

Edited by pigsty
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What, so when these ships went abroad, they tucked a car (or more than one?) in the corner of the hangar and craned it ashore? My brother never mentioned that little perk when he was aboard Illustrious!

Just going by memory, I think we had three official cars and two (?) Sherpa vans too when I was on the Invincible.

Edited by The Velociweiler
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1. One of two yokes which raise and lower the deck lift. Seemed a good idea at the time, but they've caused no end of problems, and occasionally their failure ended in near-disaster.

This is apparently because MoD knew better than the designer of the system and omitted a few parts. After seeing the system during a tour he said something along the lines of 'Oh it'll keep breaking without those bits' the reply being 'It does seem to'...

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  • 1 year later...

003.jpg

That one of all three at once was taken in 1988 just after we'd disembarked from Ark on the way home from Outback 88; the CAG had just disappeared to CU & VL, and the ship was on her way to Pompey. We always used to take the p*ss out of it as the ultimate Fish-heads' dream; three aircraft carriers within half a mile of each other, and not a single aircraft in sight. About as much use as three chocolate teapots in that state!

It was, to be fair, the only time it ever happened - I think Invince was only out on sea trials after her first major refit at that stage. [Apart from the ones the Argies are always going on about, when we repaired all that major damage from 1982 in complete secrecy, obviously.]

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You're right, I was on Lusty, just back from the US and Caribbean, although by the time the photo was taken I too was back at VL. :D

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  • 1 year later...

just a few to add.......These were taken from RFA Resource in 1983 when Invincible came up alongside to RAS with us.............We were in the Caribbean at the time............

Invicible-1_zps66bssgfy.jpg

Invicible-2_zpsxf9gwac3.jpg

[url=http://s1116.photobucket.com/user/swordfishfairey/media/Invicible-4_zpsc7sacgfu.jpg.html'>Invicible-4_zpsc7sacgfu.jpg

Invincible-5_zpsix5u4kmh.jpg

HRH Prince Andrew...............(Middle catwalk)........And yes he did wave to us............

Invincible-6_zpsydgilz3n.jpg

And later taking on ffo with RFA Olwen........

Invincible-7_zpsrz9kuuco.jpg

Sorry the pictures are not too great, they have been transferred from slides...............

Smudge

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  • 1 year later...
On 13/03/2014 at 11:31 PM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

That one of all three at once was taken in 1988 just after we'd disembarked from Ark on the way home from Outback 88; the CAG had just disappeared to CU & VL, and the ship was on her way to Pompey. We always used to take the p*ss out of it as the ultimate Fish-heads' dream; three aircraft carriers within half a mile of each other, and not a single aircraft in sight. About as much use as three chocolate teapots in that state!

It was, to be fair, the only time it ever happened - I think Invince was only out on sea trials after her first major refit at that stage. [Apart from the ones the Argies are always going on about, when we repaired all that major damage from 1982 in complete secrecy, obviously.]

Thought that phot was taken in the North sea? I was on Lusty at the time and just finished a visit to Newcastle (early 1988?). Unusual because it shows ARK at sea - didn't think she ever did any time at Sea???

 

The Official cars took an upturn after 1990 when Capt Tolhurst (ex-Vixen driver) and a very keen Le Mans fanatic persuaded Land/Range Rover to provide a car for official purposes (and thus free advertising). Did the Orient92 trip on Invince followed by years of back to back Adriatic trips. As a ships Diver I became very familiar of the underside on those rare occasions when you could actually see anything!!!!

 

Thus my serious question to anyone who is familiar with the Airfix kits. I am correct to assume the best kit to start with to build INVINCIBLE in the 1990's would be the Lusty Kit???

 

Had a day on the IKE last week, followed by a few days on the USS FIREBOLT ( a flatbottomed PC) yesterday (Nov 2016) - probably my last ever days at Sea, and my most uncomfortable - very close to paying King Neptune my respects. 

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