Farewell parade as Ark Royal bows out

A farewell parade is to be held to give residents of the home city of axed aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal a chance to give the ship and its crew a final send-off.

The leader of Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, announced the decommissioning parade yesterday to mark the passing of the fleet flagship which is being taken out of service three years early as part of the Government's defence review.

Mr Vernon-Jackson said: "HMS Ark Royal has a very special place in the hearts of the people of Portsmouth. It's only right to mark the passing of such a great ship."

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The farewell parade is scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 22 in the Guildhall Square of the Hampshire city, followed by a reception at the Guildhall.

On Thursday a former naval chief criticised the Government's decision to withdraw the Ark Royal and the Harrier jets as "short-sighted".

Admiral Lord West of Spithead said tensions between North and South Korea showed the need for Britain to be able to stand side by side with the United States in supporting Seoul.

Lord West, a former Labour security minister, wrote: "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."