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HMS Illustrious

HMS Illustrious

Five ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name Illustrious, the current one being an Invincible Class Light Aircraft Carrier that was laid down at Swan Hunter Ship Builders on the River Tyne on 7th October 1976. Known as ‘Lusty’ to her crew she was – unusually – commissioned at sea on 20th June 1982 and went straight to the South Atlantic – relieving HMS Invincible on conclusion of The Falklands Conflict in 1982.

In the 1990’s HMS Illustrious took part in the first Gulf War and the Bosnian War and in 2000 she led the Operation ‘PALLISER’ task force which was aimed at restoring peace and stability to Sierra Leone.

In late 2001 HMS Illustrious was deployed to the Oman on Exercise Saif Sareea II and it was during this exercise that the World Trade Centre was attacked by Al-Qaeda. With an embarked Commando Group HMS Illustrious remained in the region in anticipation that should such a force be required, subsequent to the ‘9/11’ attacks, they would be ‘on hand’ to be deployed as quickly as possible. HMS Illustrious was relieved by HMS Ocean in early 2002, returning to Rosyth Dockyard for a 2 year refit that would keep her in service until 2012. The refit, scheduled to cost approximately £118m, was designed to allow her to be speedily reconfigured between the light aircraft and helicopter carrier roles. On completion Illustrious underwent an intensive sea training programme before resuming further operational commitments.

Subsequent to the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) a study was undertaken to decide whether HMS Illustrious or the Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) vessel, HMS Ocean, should be retained in the long term. The study was completed in December 2010 with the decision that Illustrious remain in service until 2014 when it was planned that Ocean would emerge from her planned refit and when eventually passed as fully operational HMS Illustrious would be withdrawn from service, decommissioned and disposed of.

HMS Illustrious arrived at Rosyth in early February 2010 to commence a Maintenance and Upgrade Programme at a cost of approximately £40m. The programme was designed to make it possible for Illustrious to carry a Commando Group of some 600 Royal Marine Commandos, their equipment and a helicopter force, either Merlin’s or the Sea King, and deliver the Group into either an exercise or operational area. Other work carried out during the programme included the installation of a new computer and communications system and defensive anti-torpedo system, the application of a fuel-efficient outer hull coating that is designed to make Illustrious more fuel efficient with subsequent fuel savings and reduction of CO2 emissions and improvements consistent with lowering the vessels environmental ‘footprint’ – including a reverse osmosis fresh water making system.

With the programme completed after 16 months HMS Illustrious left Rosyth Dockyard on 20th June 2011 to complete initial sea safety training and preliminary sea trials before returning to her home port of Portsmouth on 8th July. Although not scheduled to be ready for operational commitments until 2012 it would appear that with the Apache Gunships of 664 Squadron Army Air Corps operating from Illustrious’ flight deck in mid July that preparations to deploy to the coastal area of Northern Libya on Operation ‘ELLAMY’ are being seriously considered – possibly to relieve HMS Ocean within a short space of time.

The current day HMS Illustrious can trace her history back to the first ship of her name – which was a Third Rate, 74 gun ship of the line launched at Bucklers Hard in 1789. She fought two engagements with the French Navy, one at Toulon in 1793 and the other at the Battle of Genoa two years later. Badly damaged at Genoa she ran aground whilst under tow and was eventually set on fire and abandoned. Illustrious won the Battle Honour ‘Genoa’ for the spirited manner in which she performed during the 1795 battle.

Launched at Rotherhithe in early 1800 the second Illustrious was a Third Rate 74 gun ship of the line winning the Battle Honour ‘Basque Roads’ for her part played during the 1809 battle. She went on to become a training ship and was eventually broken up at Portsmouth in 1868.

The next ship to bear the name was 1 of 9 Majestic Class battleships to be built. Launched in 1896 she weighed approximately 16,000 tons with an armament of 12 and 6 inch guns.

HMS Illustrious served in the Home, Channel, Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets before serving as a Guard Ship on the British coast between 1914/15. Before being scrapped in 1920 she was used as a disarmed ammunition ship.

Commissioned in 1940 the fourth HMS Illustrious was an Illustrious Class Aircraft Carrier weighing just over 23,000 tons. Aircraft carriers were to become the most important Royal Navy vessels of WWII with four of the Illustrious Class Carriers being built in response to the threats posed by Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.

HMS Illustrious saw action in the Mediterranean where she was instrumental in ensuring – as much as was possible – that convoys ‘running’ supplies to Malta were protected from attack by German air and sea forces. In November 1940 her Fairey Swordfish aircraft attacked the Italian Naval Base of Taranto – an attack that crippled the Italian Fleet and ‘tilted’ the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean towards the Allies.

Attacked and badly damaged by Stuka dive bombers in early 1941 she steamed to the USA – after emergency repairs – where she was refitted. In mid 1942 she was returned to active duty and sent to the Indian Ocean but eventually returned to the Mediterranean where she joined Force ‘H’ and in 1943 helped provided the air cover required for Operation ‘HUSKY’, the Allied landings in Sicily.

Joining the Eastern Fleet in 1944 Illustrious took part in many operations the culmination of which was providing air support needed during the landings at Okinawa. It was at Okinawa that HMS Illustrious she earned her last Battle Honour. It was in support of operations in the area that she was hit by two Kamikaze aircraft but her armoured flight deck absorbed the onslaught allowing her to stay in action. However, a short time later a near miss from another Kamikaze attack seriously damaged her below the waterline. Ordered to the Philippines for a damage assessment Illustrious eventually returned to Rosyth for repair and refitting. She returned to service in 1946 as a trials and training ship and was again refitted between January and August 1948.

Illustrious was eventually decommissioned in 1954, was sold in late 1956 and scrapped at Faslane in 1957. To say the fourth ship to bear the name Illustrious had a successful and distinguished career would be something of an understatement! See our Short History of the Royal Navy and Aircraft Carriers of the Royal Navy
Aircraft Carriers
HMS Illustrious
HMS Ark Royal

Assault Ships
HMS Ocean
HMS Albion
HMS Bulwark

Naval Air Squadrons