H.M.S. Illustrious: HMS Illustrious is the second of three Invincible-class light aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and is affectionately known as “Lusty” to her crew. The vessel just missed the Falklands Conflict, but was deployed to Iraq and Bosnia in the 1990s and to Sierra Leone in 2000. An extensive re-fit in 2002 meant that she missed the Iraq War, but she was finished in time to assist British citizens trapped by the 2006 Lebanon War. Illustrious is currently the Royal Navy’s sole remaining aircraft carrier, having been converted to operate helicopters following the retirement of the United Kingdom’s Harrier aircraft. It is envisaged that she will be withdrawn from service in 2014 and will not be replaced until HMS Queen Elizabeth is commissioned later in the decade
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