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We are Land, Sea and Air.

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        HMS Illustrious crest

        HMS Illustrious

        Having had an extremely busy end to 2011 which saw us complete Basic Operational Sea Training, we are now continuing our preparations to become the UK’s High Readiness Helicopter and Commando Carrier.  Once we take over this role from HMS Ocean, we will be ready to deploy anywhere in the world at short notice carrying out whatever task is required of the Ship and her Ship’s Company.

        HMS Illustrious

        This will be our final duty

        Illustrious – known affectionately by all aboard as Lusty – is due to pay off after 32 years’ proud and sterling service in 2014 to make way for the next-generation aircraft carriers.

        COMMANDING OFFICER

        Martin Connell

        Captain Martin Connell
        RANK:
        Captain
        JOINED:
        1987
        SPECIALISATION:
        Warfare
        PREVIOUS UNITS:
        HMS Lancaster, Severn, Chatham
        Military experience

        Joined Britannia Royal Naval College in 1987 graduating as a Naval College Entrant (Aviator). Following flying training he spent his early career at sea in various frigates and destroyers first as a Lynx Observer and then as an Officer of the Watch.

        In the early 1990s he qualified as an Observer Instructor and assumed the role of Flight Commander in HM Ships Coventry and Manchester as well as instructing front line aircrew in 815 Naval Air Squadron.

        After training as an anti-submarine warfare officer, he joined the Type 23 frigate HMS Lancaster as the Operations Officer. This was followed by an appointment on the Maritime Battle Staff which included Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

        In 2003 he assumed command of the Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS Severn taking her from commissioning through to operational patrols. He studied National Security, International Relations and Joint Military Operations at the United States Naval War College before working in the Directorate of Operational Capability at the Ministry of Defence.

        He took command of the Type 22 Frigate HMS Chatham in 2006 and deployed to the Middle East on Op Telic before returning to the MoD (2009-10) advising on all aspects of defence wide rotary and fixed wing aviation during the recent SDSR.

        He is a graduate of the Higher Command and Staff Course (2011) and a Younger Brother of the Corporation of Trinity House. Aside from a busy home life, his interests include keeping fit, mountain biking and being an eternally optimistic Chelsea season ticket holder.

        Captain Connell assumed command of HMS Illustrious on 5 January 2012.


        OPERATIONS

        Exercise Cold Response

        CURRENT STATUS: COMPLETED
        image
        MISSION SUMMARY

        Cold Response is a multinational exercise led by the Norwegian Armed Forces. While current operations are focussed on Afghanistan, it is vital that the Royal Navy maintains its amphibious capability in a cold weather environment. Cold Response brings together the Royal Marines, assault ships and other Fleet assets, and the helicopters of the Fleet Air Arm.

        Read More

        LATEST NEWS

         

        TOP STORIES

        Like ducks to water – the Junglies are back at sea
        Like Ducks to Water – the Junglies are Back at Sea
        15 May 2012

        After four years of spending most of their time over...

        HMS Illustrious sailors make the grade
        HMS Illustrious Sailors Make the Grade
        14 May 2012

        Four sailors serving in HMS Illustrious have received their GCSE...

        Scottish Lion readies 45 Commando for front line
        Scottish Lion readies 45 Commando for front line
        09 May 2012

        More than 750 Royal Marines and supporting units, plus three...

        Illustrious
        Illustrious ‘ready for anything’ as massive military exercise ends
        27 April 2012

        HMS Illustrious is ready to take her place as Britain’s...

        ABOUT THE UNIT

        KEY STATISTICS


        Pennant

        R06

        Displacement

        22,000Tonnes

        Complement

        685Personnel

        Length

        210Metres

        Beam

        36Metres

        Draught

        7.6Metres

        Top Speed

        30Knots

        Range (Nautical)

        5,000Miles

        Launch Date

        14/12/78

        Commissioned Date

        20/06/82

        Nickname

        Lusty

        TAKE A LOOK

        UNITS IN TIME


        HMS Illustrious HISTORY

        TRACK THE HISTORY OF SHIPS NAMED HMS Illustrious
        • The First Illustrious

          We are the fifth ship in the Royal Navy to carry the name Illustrious. Our lineage goes back to 1789 and a 74-gun battleship which fought in the French Revolutionary Wars. She was damaged during the Battle of Genoa in 1795 and later wrecked, although all her crew survived.

        • Battle Honours

          Genoa 1795

        • The Second Illustrious

          The second Illustrious was launched in 1803 and was a 74 gun third rate. Shw was an active warship for the first half of the 19th Century, seeing action in European and Far Eastern waters. In 1854 she turned into a training ship before being broken up in 1868.

        • Battle Honours

          Basque Roads 1809

        • The Third Illustrious

          Illustrious No.3 was a Majestic-class battleship of 1896 – in her day the largest and most powerful warship in the world. After service in the Mediterranean and home waters, she was pressed into service in the first 15 months of World War 1 as a guardship on the east coast, notably Tyneside and the Humber. She was finally stripped of her guns and turned into an ammunition ship, she was scrapped in 1920.

        • Battle Honours

          Taranto 1940 Mediterranean 1940-41

        • The Fourth Illustrious

          By far the most famous Illustrious is the fourth, a WW2 aircraft carrier which saw extensive combat in the Mediterranean and Far East. She served as the launchpad for the Taranto raid which saw a handful of Swordfish bombers cripple the Italian Fleet in harbour – a deed which is celebrated annually to this day aboard the latest Illustrious. Two months after that raid she was badly damaged by Stuka dive bombers off Italy, and further damaged during repairs in Malta. She had to retire to the USA for repairs.

        • Battle Honours

          Diego Suarez 1942

        • Return to service

          When she returned to the war effort, her aircraft supported the Allied occupations of Vichy French islands in the Indian Ocean, then took part in the invasion of Sicily. She spent the final 18 months of World War 2 in the Far East, launching strikes at Japanese-held oil refineries at Palembang – one of the most celebrated attacks in Fleet Air Arm history – and Okinawa, during which she was attacked and damaged by kamikazes.

        • Battle Honours

          Salerno 1943

        • Battle Honours

          Sabang 1944

        • Battle Honours

          Palembang 1945 Okinawa 1945

        • Training Ship

          She was repaired and refitted and used as a training and trials ship before being paid off in 1954 and broken up three years later.

        Current Jobs

        Defence Technical Non Grade Scheme (Marine Engineering)

        The engineering branch includes weapons  marine and air engineering. Marine Engineers manage the repair and maintenance of the ships electrical and mechanical systems alongside and at sea.  Later in your career you will become involved in the procurement and building...
        More info

        Marine Engineering Grad Entry

        The Engineering Branch includes weapons, marine and air engineering. Marine Engineers manage the repair and maintenance of the ships mechanical and hydraulic systems alongside and at sea. Later in your career you will become involved in the procurement and building of...
        More info

        Communications Technician

        As a Communications Technician, you’ll be an essential part of the intelligence organisation on the ship, using your skills and specialist equipment to gather and analyse information, which the Captain and other officers will use to make their decisions. ...
        More info