HMS Ark Royal (R07) was a light aircraft carrier and the final vessel of the Royal Navy's Invincible class. Built by Swan Hunter on the River Tyne, her keel was laid on 7 December 1978, and she was launched on 2 June 1981, with Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother sponsoring her christening. Commissioned on 1 November 1985, Ark Royal was slightly larger than her sister ships, Invincible and Illustrious, and featured a steeper ski-jump ramp to facilitate aircraft operations. Designed to operate STOVL (Short Take Off and Vertical Landing) aircraft, she carried Harrier jump jets and various helicopters, supporting a crew of over 1,000 sailors and aviators. Her construction was notable for her size and capabilities, making her a prominent flagship of the Royal Navy for several decades. She was named in honor of a historic 1587 flagship that defeated the Spanish Armada, reviving the distinguished name after the previous Ark Royal was scrapped in 1980. Ark Royal saw active service during the 1990s Bosnian War, deploying to the Adriatic Sea in 1993, and later participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. During her deployment in Iraq, she operated with helicopters and experienced a mid-air collision of two Sea King helicopters, resulting in the tragic loss of seven personnel. She underwent refits, including the removal of Sea Dart missiles in 1999, and returned to service multiple times, including as the Fleet Flagship in 2007. Her operational history included participation in exercises like Joint Warrior and roles in humanitarian efforts, such as rescue missions during the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption. Ark Royal was decommissioned on 11 March 2011 amid defense restructuring and was replaced by HMS Prince of Wales as the Royal Navy’s flagship. She was sold for scrap to Leyal Ship Recycling in Turkey, departing Portsmouth in May 2013, marking the end of her distinguished service.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.