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Doomed Tyne-built warship may get new role
NEW ROLE ... for the decommissioned aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal.
THE doomed Tyne-built warship, Ark Royal, could become a floating hospital in disaster zones all over the world.
That is one of the uses being proposed for the ship after the Government last summer invited offers for the decomissioned aircraft carrier, which was built at Swan Hunter’s Wallsend yard.
Other proposals include sinking it in the English Channel to become an artificial diving reef, or converting it into a floating casino in Hong Kong.
But the plan to use the Royal Navy’s former flagship for humanitarian missions would be a more dignified solution.
London-based billionaire Mark Jones is bankrolling a bid to use the ship to take air to disaster zones – after the Belfast Harland and Wolff shipyard carries out a refit.
The 22,000-ton Invincible Class carrier was launched in 1981, and put up for sale last year after being deemed too expensive in the 2010 defence cuts.
She is moored at Portsmouth while awaiting her fate.
The Ministry of Defence is expected to make a final decision on what the future holds for Ark Royal next month.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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wedlloyd
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 04:18 PMYes, It is a good idea because the last four years i have worked on a Hospital Ship in Africa and it has been a worth while project.
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