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3 December 2010
Last updated at 05:24 ET
The Royal Navy's flagship HMS Ark Royal has returned to its home port for the final time before it is scrapped as part of government budget cuts.
The aircraft carrier arrived in Portsmouth after a farewell tour of the UK including Tyneside and Clyde where its ammunition was removed.
The government decided to axe the ship as it cut defence spending by 8%.
The ship will be decommissioned in January with a parade in Portsmouth to give the crew a final send-off.
Last month, the Queen made a farewell visit to the ship at Portsmouth at an event held to mark the ship's 25th anniversary in service.
The government's decision to decommission the Ark Royal three years early and also cut the Harrier force has been criticised by several retired Royal Navy admirals including Admiral Lord West of Spithead.
Spanish Armada He said losing the ship in "such dangerous times" was "short-sighted".
The aircraft carrier will be replaced by the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carrier, which will not come into service until the end of the decade.
They will carry F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, which are replacing the Harriers after they are decommissioned in 2011.
The first Ark Royal saw battle in 1588 against the Spanish Armada. The current ship is the fifth vessel to carry the name and saw active service in the Balkans and the second Gulf War.
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The aircraft carrier arrived in Portsmouth after a farewell tour of the UK including Tyneside and Clyde where its ammunition was removed.
The government decided to axe the ship as it cut defence spending by 8%.
The ship will be decommissioned in January with a parade in Portsmouth to give the crew a final send-off.
Last month, the Queen made a farewell visit to the ship at Portsmouth at an event held to mark the ship's 25th anniversary in service.
The government's decision to decommission the Ark Royal three years early and also cut the Harrier force has been criticised by several retired Royal Navy admirals including Admiral Lord West of Spithead.
Spanish Armada He said losing the ship in "such dangerous times" was "short-sighted".
The aircraft carrier will be replaced by the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carrier, which will not come into service until the end of the decade.
They will carry F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, which are replacing the Harriers after they are decommissioned in 2011.
The first Ark Royal saw battle in 1588 against the Spanish Armada. The current ship is the fifth vessel to carry the name and saw active service in the Balkans and the second Gulf War.
Powered by WizardRSS | Best Membership Site Software