They are taken to on a funeral voyage to the junk-yard – with high tide, they are simply intentionally run aground, as closer to the shore as possible, then cruelly cut into pieces manually, pulled a bit more, and eventually even the keel vanishes !!
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Now it is the turn of ‘HMS Illustrious’, which served in the Falklands War, the Gulf War and Bosnia, to be scrapped on Wednesday. It will leave its base at Portsmouth and head to Turkey where it has been sold for £2million. Daily Mail reports that the last of the Invincible-class aircraft carriers, which could be armed with Harrier jets and attack helicopters, was retired in 2014 after entering service in 1982. The ship's final years have been controversial after the Ministry of Defence declined plans to preserve her as a naval museum. A last ditch attempt to save her from scrap was refused by naval bosses despite £3million being offered. HMS Illustrious will make way for for two new Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, the first of which will be commissioned for military operations in 2020. The MoD expects the carrier to leave Portsmouth for Leyal Ship Recycling and Dismantling company in Aliaga, Turkey, on Wednesday depending on weather conditions. It is the same yard which scrapped her sister ships Ark Royal and Invincible. HMS Ark Royal was scrapped for £2.9 million in 2013 and HMS Invincible fetched around £2 million in 2011.
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With regards – S. Sampathkumar 2nd Dec 2016.
Credits : Photos and news of HMS Illustrious – dailymail.co.uk.