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Royal Navy Invincible Class Light Aircraft Carrier - HMS Illustrious (R06), Operation Ocean Wave, 1997 (1:700 Scale)
Royal Navy Invincible Class Light Aircraft Carrier - HMS Illustrious (R06), Operation Ocean Wave, 1997

Forces of Valor Royal Navy Invincible Class Light Aircraft Carrier - HMS Illustrious (R06), Operation Ocean Wave, 1997




 
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Product Code: FOV861016A

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Forces of Valor FOV861016A Royal Navy Invincible Class Light Aircraft Carrier - HMS Illustrious (R06), Operation Ocean Wave, 1997 (1:700 Scale)

"First gain the victory and then make the best use of it you can."
- Horatio Nelson

HMS Illustrious was a light aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy and the second of three Invincible-class ships constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". In 1982, the conflict in the Falklands necessitated that Illustrious be completed and rushed south to join her sister ship HMS Invincible and the veteran carrier HMS Hermes. To this end, she was brought forward by three months for completion at Swan Hunter Shipyard, then commissioned on June 20th, 1982, at sea en-route to Portsmouth Dockyard to take on board extra stores and crew. She arrived in the Falklands to relieve Invincible on August 28th, 1982, in a steam past. Returning to the United Kingdom, she was not formally commissioned into the fleet until 20 March 1983.

After the Falklands War, she was deployed on Operation Southern Watch in Iraq, then Operation Deny Flight in Bosnia during the 1990s and Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone in 2000. An extensive re-fit during 2002 prevented her from involvement in the 2003 Iraq War, but she was repaired in time to assist British citizens trapped by the 2006 Lebanon War. Following the retirement of her fixed-wing British Aerospace Harrier II aircraft in 2010, Illustrious operated as one of two Royal Navy helicopter carriers. After 32 years' service, the oldest ship in the Royal Navy's active fleet was formally decommissioned on August 28th, 2014, even though she would not be replaced until HMS Queen Elizabeth's commissioning in 2017. Despite the UK Ministry of Defence's announcement in 2012 that, once decommissioned, Illustrious would be preserved for the nation, in 2016 she was sold and towed to Turkish company Leyal for scrapping.

Pictured here is a 1:700 scale replica of the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (R06) as it took part in the hand over of Hong Kong to mainland China. Pre-order! Price and ship date to be determined.

Diorama Dimensions:
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Historical Account: "The Handover" - The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, referred to as "the Handover" or "the Return" internationally, took place on July 1st, 1997. The landmark event marked the end of British administration in Hong Kong, and is often regarded as marking the end of the British Empire.

The handover ceremony was held at the new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on the night of June 30th, 1997.

The principal British guest was Prince Charles, who read a farewell speech on behalf of the Queen. The newly elected Prime Minister, Tony Blair, the Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, the departing Governor Chris Patten and General Sir Charles Guthrie, Chief of the Defence Staff, also attended.

Features
  • Diecast metal and plastic construction
  • Full draught model of a fighting ship
  • Can be displayed as either a waterline or full draught model
  • Comes with a full complement of aircraft
  • Comes atop golden pillars on a wood-like display plinth with etched metallic name plate

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