HMS ARK ROYAL R09 - Cancelled Museum Ship Project

[Sir Humphrey]

Hi folks, I hope this is okay to post here.

I've written up a long post at my blogsite (Thin PinstripedLine) setting out the history of the planned conversion of HMS ARK ROYAL R09 in 1979 to become a museum ship in Greenwich. Post decomissioning, she was subjected to several proposals around converting her into a casino, nightclub and heliport to be moored in either Greenwich or Southend.

Its a fascinating story involving dubious business plans, even more dubious businesses and allegedly very dodgy business people trying to persuade the MOD to give them the ship, while the MOD went (in the words of Jerry Maguire) "show me the money".
The plans all failed and the ship was scrapped, but it makes for a gripping read - all over at https://thinpinstripedline.blogspot.com/2025/08/to-sail-no-more-how-hms-ark-royal.html!

 

[Archibald]

Reminds me of the last french cruiser, the Colbert. Was moored in Bordeaux as a museum in the mid-1990's only to be dumped in 2007 and scrapped in Bassens, just 5 km away on the other side of the Garonne river... 10 years later... and after a 1000 km two-way tow trip to the Marine Nationale fleet graveyard in French Brittany.