HMS Ark Royal, the Royal Navy's latest antisubmarine aircraft carrier (above) is pictured after her launch from the Swan Hunter yard on the River Tyne in northeast England recently.
The last Invincible-class through-deck cruiser to be built, HMS Ark Royal has an expected completion date of 1985. The ship will be used as an offshore base for vertical take-off Sea Harrier fighter aircraft and Sea King antisubmarine helicopters. It will also be a communications center from which to control surface escorts and coordinate operations with Royal Air Force (RAF) Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft.
The ship, which was launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother, is the fifth to bear the name Ark Royal and — at over £200 million — is the most expensive warship ever built for the Royal Navy. It has an overall length of approximately 676 feet (206 meters), beam of 105 feet (32 meters), and will accommodate over 1,000 officers and men.