HMS Illustrious arrives back in Portsmouth

HMS Illustrious returns to its home port of Portsmouth following a £40m re-fit in Scotland and were watched by the Commodore Yachting crew from the  back of the barge which serves as an office and classroom for the RYA sailing school.

The ship, which used to carry planes, underwent modifications so it can carry 20 helicopters and 600 commandos. It arrived in Portsmouth  Harbour just after 5pm this afternoon.

The re-fit took 16 month and took place in Rosyth, Fife, and included its flight deck being converted into a helicopter platform.

The 22,000-tonne ship, known as Lusty, also had 540,000 litres of paint applied to it, including a fuel-efficient outer hull coating that will save tonnes of fuel and CO2 emissions.

Its communications kit and crew’s living space were also revamped as well as a new anti-torpedo system fitted.

The work was carried out by a partnership of Babcock Marine, the ship’s company, Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems.

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