Pointblank
Senior Member
The Aussies are were also listed as buyers of HMS Invincible as well. In fact, the deal was almost complete, but the Brits took Invincible off the market after the Falklands.
Aircraft Carriers
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The Aussies are were also listed as buyers of HMS Invincible as well. In fact, the deal was almost complete, but the Brits took Invincible off the market after the Falklands.
Considering how popular carriers are now (compared with the decline of the 70s and 80s) I find it hard to believe the Invincibles won't be sold to other navies for further service. Unlike the previous generation of steam powered CVs that were sold widely around the world (ie the Colossus/Majestic class and the Hermes) which officially weren't built to last(!) the Invincibles were designed on the 'upkeep by replacement' principle, and indeed all three have been constantly updated over the years so that apart from the hull and super structure very little of the original ships' equipment remains. Anyone buying the ships may be getting a 25+year old hull but all the important 'stuff', engines (gas turbines are replaced regularly, indeed Invincible changed one whilst UNDERWAY during the Falklands operation), wiring (replaced at their last major refits) Radars (regularly updated and in some cases replaced with more up to date systems), accomodaton (now including facilities for female sailors, satellite phones and internet connections for the crew to keep in touch with home, and satellite TV! A far cry from conditions even in the 80s) is as close to new as possible.
Also, the JSF will fit on the Invincibles lifts and hangars as British influence on the design has kept the dimensions down (with an eye to future export sales, no doubt), so I would not be surprised if the sale of the ships was part of a package deal with F-35Bs in a similar manner to the sale of the Admiral Gorshkov to India was tied to the sale of Mig 29Ks. The French CV Foch sold to Brazil for a 'giveaway price' of $15million whilst the A-4 skyhawks were bought for $74million, and I would expect the sale of an Invincible to be by far the smallest part of any such future deal, going for a token sum. This would be a wise move financially as the real money comes from the support contracts afterwards.
Also, the JSF will fit on the Invincibles lifts and hangars as British influence on the design has kept the dimensions down (with an eye to future export sales, no doubt), so I would not be surprised if the sale of the ships was part of a package deal with F-35Bs in a similar manner to the sale of the Admiral Gorshkov to India was tied to the sale of Mig 29Ks. The French CV Foch sold to Brazil for a 'giveaway price' of $15million whilst the A-4 skyhawks were bought for $74million, and I would expect the sale of an Invincible to be by far the smallest part of any such future deal, going for a token sum. This would be a wise move financially as the real money comes from the support contracts afterwards.
Obi Wan. Do you have any idea what year the Invincibles may be sold off? I cannot any info on that subject. I'm glad the RN has the forsite to keep their ships so well maintained.
The USN does keeps it ships in good repair..unless of course it wants to get rid of one. Like the USS John F Kennedy CV-67(JFK). It is now scheduled to be decomissioned on 23 March 2007. The JFK was undergoing SLEP in '92 or '93 when the BRAC(Base realingnment an Closure) commitee decided to close the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where the JFK was undergoing it's re-fit. The work was stopped on the ship an many loose ends never tied up. It's been downhill ever since for the JFK. The JFK was left to wither away.
The USN does keeps it ships in good repair..unless of course it wants to get rid of one. Like the USS John F Kennedy CV-67(JFK). It is now scheduled to be decomissioned on 23 March 2007. The JFK was undergoing SLEP in '92 or '93 when the BRAC(Base realingnment an Closure) commitee decided to close the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where the JFK was undergoing it's re-fit. The work was stopped on the ship an many loose ends never tied up. It's been downhill ever since for the JFK. The JFK was left to wither away.
Neutral Zone
Junior Member
Someone should be held to account for that! :nono:
Wasn't JFK due to stay in service until 2018 outlasting Enterprise? The USN may regret not having JFK around in the next few years.
You are correct sir. 2018..that 11 years from now. Oh well..
And you are right someone needs to be held accountable. In my opinion if the BRAC comission had let the Philadelphia shipyard finish the SLEP of the JFK it could have been in service in a excellent condition for it's entire life span. The same Philadelphia shipyard SLED'ed the Kitty Hawk in '91-'93 and the ship is still going strong. It is scheduled to be retired late next year or early 2009. The Kitty Hawk was comissioned in 1961.
In all fairness the JFK is 38 years old. The Normal service life for a CV(N) is 50years.
Another factor in decomissioning CV's is the extreme cost of operating these fossiled fueled ships.
Officially Invincible will be held at 18 months notice for sea (and experience in 1982 showed that could be drastically shortened in an emergency) until 2010, which was originally going to be her decommissioning date until the Iraq war costs cut in. Illustrious is currently scheduled to pay off in 2012 and Ark Royal in 2015 (30 years after first commissioning), but these dates are tied to the commissioning dates of the CVFs, which have now slipped back a couple of years. Extending the service lives of these two ships will not present any difficulties beyond extracting the money from the treasury. I would expect therefore Invincible to be on the market in 2010, Illustrious in 2014 and Ark Royal in 2017, or there abouts. There is some talk of giving Ark Royal a SLEP after the CVFs are commissioned in order to retain her as an LPH and a spare deck, but nothing official.
Thanks...that is an EXCELLENT pic and a newer one than I had seen in some time. Were there more at the site you found it? I would think that the italians would be anxious to show their new carrier off. it is a well designed and capable vessel and the Italians have quite a bit of experience with this type of vessel. I believe it will be a very effective, multi-role carrier.
Here's a few more of Cavour at sea on trials:
No flight deck markings as yet and it'll be a few months before she is ready for service but certainly a positive and welcome development. Well done to her builders.
No flight deck markings as yet and it'll be a few months before she is ready for service but certainly a positive and welcome development. Well done to her builders.
More excellent pics...thanks Obi Wan!
The will be very similar and I expect to see quite a few more of these type vessels plowing the waves from various countries. Basically, the new indigenous Indian carrier will also be similar as will a potential Australian variant at some point. They are basically larger and a little more versatile (in the multi-role variants) versions of the HMS Invinsible class and the UK has shown us all the viability and usefulness of the design.
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