Ark Royal sails home for the last time

Crowds of people braved the freezing conditions yesterday to welcome the aircraft carrier in Portsmouth as it sailed into the port through a thick fog after a farewell tour of the UK.

Its ammunition has been removed and four Harrier pilots took off from its deck for the last time en route, as the jump jet is also taken out of service.

The Ark Royal's commanding officer Capt Jerry Kyd called the ship's final journey, a "sad" day.

He added: "There is no question that there is a certain amount of sadness attached to this final deployment.

"But it is also an opportunity for us to celebrate the silver jubilee of this fine ship and for us to show her off once more.

"She has played a very important role throughout her history and we have always been lucky enough to draw great affection and support from the British public wherever we go.

"For me, personally, I have been exceptionally proud to serve as her captain – my very first job after finishing my initial officer training 25 years ago at Dartmouth was in the then-brand new HMS Ark Royal.

"It is therefore a great honour for me to be able to command her farewell tour as her last captain."

Leeds adopted the Ark Royal in November 1941, but it was torpedoed and sunk just days later. However, local citizens got together and raised more than 9m for a replacement sip.

The Queen made a farewell visit to the ship in Portsmouth last month at an event held to mark its 25th anniversary in service.

The Ark Royal is being decommissioned early and the Harrier force cut as part of eight per cent Government defence cuts, a move that has been criticised by several retired admirals.

Admiral Lord West of Spithead said: "What is certain is that to fail to stand by the United States, when they have supported us in Europe over some 70 years, would be a mistake.

"The dispatch of a carrier, its small air wing and a Tactom-armed nuclear submarine, should any such crisis escalate, is just the sort of commitment an ally such as the United States requires.

"Nothing else in our military inventory has similar flexibility and adaptability.

"What will be the next strategic shock? I cannot predict it – nor can the Government. To lose our maritime strike capability in such dangerous times is short-sighted."

The Ark Royal will be officially decommissioned next month, with a farewell parade in Portsmouth that will allow the city's residents to give a final send off to the crew and ship.

The aircraft carrier is the fifth Ark Royal and saw active service in the Balkans and second Gulf War.

The ship will be replaced by the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft

carrier, but this will not come into service until the end of the decade and will carry F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

A flypast by the outgoing Harriers yesterday was cancelled because of the extreme weather.

Capt Kyd added: "I am very fortunate to be at the helm of an exceptional crew, whose professional skills will be re-allocated and valued in the wider Royal Naval service, long after the ship herself has been decommissioned – so her work and memory will continue to serve the Royal Navy well.

"I am only too aware that this famous ship and her iconic name mean so much to so many, but although Ark Royal will be decommissioned, the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers are vastly more capable and provide the Royal Navy with an exciting future."

The has a full complement of 682 sailors but can carry an additional 668 aircrew and marines.

Leeds City Council leader Keith Wakefield, , said previously that the loss of the Ark Royal was "devastating" and that is "no ordinary ship".

The astonishing sum of 9m that was raised by Leeds citizens in the 1940s came from small contributions from children, up to figures of 250,000 from local businesses.A huge march to raise funds also took place on the Headrow.

The ship and its crew were granted the Freedom of Entry into Leeds in 1973.

400 years of proud history

The current aircraft carrier is the fifth Ark Royal and is stark contrast to the first, which was a wooden battleship and part of Sir Francis Drake's fleet in the late 16th century.

It saw battle in 1588 and helped in the fight against the Spanish Armada.

The second was a 7,400-ton seaplane carrier that was used during the First World War. An aircraft carrier sunk in 1941 was the third vessel with the same name.

The fourth Ark Royal was launched in the 1950s and decommissioned in 1976, before the current ship was commissioned 25 years ago.

The latest Ark Royal is 692ft long and has a maximum beam of 118ft.