HMS Hermes R12
HMS Hermes R12 was a 23,000 ton Centaur Class Aircraft Carrier of the Royal Navy and later Indian Navy, where from 1987 she bore the name INS Viraat R22. Laid down in June 1944, her construction was to take a protracted 15 years, being launched in 1953, before being commissioned in November 1959. In this slide show, we see HMS Hermes R12 as she passes Western Kings and enters Devonport Naval Base on 26th June 1975, by which time she had been adapted to a Commando Carrier role, but her moment of glory came in 1982 when she spearheaded as flagship of the British task force during the Falklands War. Withdrawn by the Royal Navy in 1984, after refit at Devonport she was sold to the Indian Navy in 1987, serving for a further 30 years as INS Viraat R22, before being finally decommissioned on 6th March 2017, an amazing 73 years after construction had initially started, becoming the longest serving carrier in history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzHkVRjHT9U
With HM the Queen's Silver Jubilee decorations evident on Drake's Island, in this slide show we see the 23,000 ton Centaur Class Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes R12 as she enters Devonport Naval Base on 25th May 1977, before passing a decommissioned HMS Eagle R05, which was anchored in the Hamoaze, which was waiting to be towed away for scrapping the following year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V07DjdmVKqw
Having undergone refit and upgrades at Devonport Naval Base as part of her sale to the Indian Navy, the 23,000 ton Centaur Class Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat R22, the former HMS Hermes, is seen leaving Devonport (possibly for the final time?) as she heads to India and her new home with the Indian Navy. Apologies for the quality of some of these images - the best efforts of a 14 year old school boy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeCt-HGaLj8