Paul Bradley Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 HMS Illustrious is to be retired in August, according a report in the Portsmouth News: http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/hms-illustrious-to-be-retired-in-august-1-6182329 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickpadwick1801 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Such a shame. I hope they open her up to the public in Portsmouth, I would love to go aboard. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I see the MoD are thinking of ideas for preserving her. They could do well to look at this example in San Diego http://www.midway.org I visited her last week and me and Mrs H both enjoyed a three hour tour of this floating museum. Where to put it though? Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 She was my first real shipboard posting when I was with 800sqn so it would be great to see here preserved. Unfortunately we have a very bad reputation when it comes to preserving our old ships and if money can't be found to save the likes of HMS Plymouth then Lusty has no chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenko Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I see the MoD are thinking of ideas for preserving her. They could do well to look at this example in San Diego http://www.midway.org I visited her last week and me and Mrs H both enjoyed a three hour tour of this floating museum. Where to put it though? Trevor Have to agree with you 100% there Trevor. I was like a kid in a sweet shop when I was on here in April this year. The Americans do this sort of thing soooo well. We have a lot to learn from them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfqweofekwpeweiop4 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I got taken to see HMS Illustrious in 1983 for her commissioning on the Tyne, I think I was 7 at the time. Can't remember too much, other than you weren't allowed to use cameras and you didn't get to see much other than the flight deck and hangar. HMS Ark Royal was there too, still being finished off! thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PZRGREN Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I would have though somewhere near where she was built, Tyne & Wear, the floating museum idea is great, all the aircraft on her as they do in New York on USS Intrepid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The Americans do this sort of thing soooo well. We have a lot to learn from them. Their history is not as long or diverse as ours . . . Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenko Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Their history is not as long or diverse as ours . . . Nick What I was getting at was the fact they do preserve ships and the presentation of said ship is first class. The Midway has a very representative collection of post war US Navy aircraft, that you can get up and real personal with. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I agree, having seen the Civil War battlefields and Smithsonian more years ago than I would care to remember. I was just making the point that we have to split our resources over a greater area. The Americans also have much more room to show things off better. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The sad fact is that it just costs to much to keep them in a safe state. The water and harbour wall are free but complying with Health and Safety regs is so expensive never mind keeping the paint in good nick. I went aboard Plymouth and Onyx when they were at Birkenhead and dd a pretty fair photo survey of Plymouth with a 1/96th Type 12 in mind and she was fine at the time but I guess she's razor blades now. Very sad but just about the hardest thing to preserve. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Plymouth is still extant, just. There have been many planes for it but they all seem to have fallen through. http://www.hmsplymouthtrust.co.uk/news_37.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2159527/HMS-Plymouth-Falklands-frigate-lies-rusting-awaits-final-voyage-scrapyard-30th-anniversary-war.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 We should count ourselves lucky that they managed to save HMS Belfast, my Dad's old ship. I seem to remember that it was very touch and go whether she would survive the breaker's yard, but I for one am glad she did. Unfortunately my Dad died suddenly about a month before she opened to the public, so he never got to see her again, which is why she has a special meaning for me. Regarding HMS Illustrious it would seem that , to quote a post regarding the Red Arrows on this forum, that our government knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The Americans also seem to know how to make preserved ships a commercially viable venture: USS Intrepid is advertised very well and many people who visit New York end up visiting the carrier even if they're not ships or aircrafts enthusiast. Every year the ship is visited by more than one million people ! This is of course only possible because the ship is in NY City, had the ship been berthed somewhere else, things may have been different. The same could be true for HMS Belfast as it's located in a perfect spot where it's possible to attract many visitors. The ship is also mentioned in pretty much every leaflet a tourist gets when arriving into London. If however a museum ship is far from the main tourist routes, who is going to visit ? Only enthusiasts, locals and those tourists who may pass by for some reason and have nothing else to do. The same tourist who's in London and may think of visiting HMS Belfast ("why not, I've never been on a warship before and it's just beside the bridge and the tower...") will hardly travel to another place to visit a ship. Unless he/she is an enthusiast of course. Now I know that many will reply that preserving a warship is a way to honour the veterans, preserve the National heritage and so on and a Country should do it regardless of cost, but the truth is these things cost a lot of money. Could HMS Illustrious (or any other ship) be made into an attraction capable of sustaining at least a decent percentage of the costs through the sale of tickets ? This would be the best way to save the ship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The only way Lusty will be viable if she goes to Portsmouth to the Historic Dockyard. Mary Rose Victory Warrior M33 ????? But the dockyard has shown no interest in acquiring a modern warship to even out the line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The problem with preserving ships its its very expensive to make them viable for the general public to walkaround, also you have to make them viable, and have space for them. Portsmouth dockyard would make sense as they have everything needed there. The only other place I could see being able to run it and make a go would be at Leith with the Royal Yacht, though they might have their hands full if they are able to secure HMS Edinburgh. Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickpadwick1801 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The Royal Navy has an article up confirming that the Illustrious is preparing for her final entry into Portsmouth on Tuesday July 22nd 2014. Article : http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2014/july/17/140717-illustrious I really wish they were bringing her into port on Wednesday morning as I am off work for the day as its my birthday. Its going to be a sad day when they bring her in and the final command is given : Finished with Engines...... Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bradley Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Portsmouth would be the ideal place - with the downsizing of the dockyard, isn't there a spare drydock of appropriate size for her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crennis Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Portsmouth would be the ideal place - with the downsizing of the dockyard, isn't there a spare drydock of appropriate size for her? The dockyard isn't being downsized, only the shipbuilding hall is closing. C/D Locks are large enough for her but both are a long way from the historic dockyard and they will always be busy with T45's/T23's and eventually (fingers crossed) T26's. Would love to have her here but there's no space now and will be even less when QEC is alongside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealmodelshop Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 There is a suggestion that the Lusty is coming to Hull East Yorkshire for couple of years,to coincide with the ` City Of Culture` in 2017.A long term idea is to turn her in a floating aviation museum because she well be berthed only a few miles from the old Blackburn factory at Brough but I doubt whether that will come off!! Cheers RMS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfqweofekwpeweiop4 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 The Americans also seem to know how to make preserved ships a commercially viable venture: USS Intrepid is advertised very well and many people who visit New York end up visiting the carrier even if they're not ships or aircrafts enthusiast. Every year the ship is visited by more than one million people ! This is of course only possible because the ship is in NY City, had the ship been berthed somewhere else, things may have been different. The same could be true for HMS Belfast as it's located in a perfect spot where it's possible to attract many visitors. The ship is also mentioned in pretty much every leaflet a tourist gets when arriving into London. If however a museum ship is far from the main tourist routes, who is going to visit ? Only enthusiasts, locals and those tourists who may pass by for some reason and have nothing else to do. The same tourist who's in London and may think of visiting HMS Belfast ("why not, I've never been on a warship before and it's just beside the bridge and the tower...") will hardly travel to another place to visit a ship. Unless he/she is an enthusiast of course. Now I know that many will reply that preserving a warship is a way to honour the veterans, preserve the National heritage and so on and a Country should do it regardless of cost, but the truth is these things cost a lot of money. Could HMS Illustrious (or any other ship) be made into an attraction capable of sustaining at least a decent percentage of the costs through the sale of tickets ? This would be the best way to save the ship For the most I'd agree, the yanks have preserved many ships very well and if I had the time and money, i'd be off for a tour round the US of the preserved ships! However, they have had a lot of bother with USS Texas. It's hull is in a poor state (it is around 100 years old!) and at one point there was a genuine fear it might capsize. I think they have stabilised it for now but it might need some serious restoration work soon! Regards the Plymouth. I think it's a shame it looks like it'll end up as scrap, I visited several times as it was about a half hour drive (if that!) from where we used to live. We took my Grandad one time - he thought it was luxurious compared to the accommodation he had on HMS Royal Sovereign and HMS Relentless in WW2! You'd have thought they could have towed it across the Mersey to be part of part of the Liverpool maritime museum, or even to Chatham, where it would make an interesting comparison to HMS Cavalier. As for Illustrious, it would be good to see her preserved, especially if it could be like a mini USS Intrepid and be preserved as a air/sea museum. One thing I'm curious about, is how much money and effort would it take to put some of these in old dis-used dry docks and encase their lower hulls in concrete? Like the Japanese have done with Mikasa. That way there wouldn't be the issues of the USS Texas. thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wafu Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Farewell old girl, just chatting on FB to a few old shipmates about this. This is the last of my old ships to retire, best trip was Rolling Deep 85. Let's hope the Pusser get to give her a decent pay-off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Farewell old girl, just chatting on FB to a few old shipmates about this. This is the last of my old ships to retire, best trip was Rolling Deep 85. Let's hope the Pusser get to give her a decent pay-off. Ditto, but I was on her a bit later, best trip I had was the States trip in 1988 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestar12chris Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Without doubt she should be preserved as a floating museum, having been in the thick of things, falklands, gulf etc. So few of our post war era hardware apart from planes seems to get preserved. Just sold off to who knows where. A fleet air arm museum would be fantastic, you could adorn the decks with helos and planes from all eras. I wish the navy would also make one of the decommissioned Trafalgar class into a floating museum as well, like the americans have the nautilus.. All the best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Hms Conqueror was open to the public in Plymouth dockyard Don't know if she still is The tour was very good did it twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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