The Enterprise is made of very thick steel, as the Americans had learned the hard way in the Pacific.
Unlike the U.K's CVS, where like most things in the U.K. services, hard won lessons seem all too easily forgotten; remember the tragic accident a few years ago when even a CBLS practice bomb penetrated the deck, severely injuring a member of crew.
That is not meant to cause offence, I have been at Test Ranges where even red-hot Harrier Test Pilots ( not the famous one ! ) have had finger trouble & released stores when they didn't mean to - resulting in a stiff debrief as to what happened & why it wasn't going to happen again.
It should be borne in mind however that the R.N. have a habit of selling off warships which then go on to serve many more years with other navies - witness the type 22's, even type 23's, let alone Hermes with the Indian Navy, laid down at the end of World War II and only just being retired.
Before anyone jumps to blame the current useless government, remember that Thatcher was going to sell Invincible to Australia before the Falklands War saved her political arse - and it, with it's many casualties then & since, need never have happened if her government looked half serious about defence.
She also binned the P1216 STOVL Harrier replacement without a second glance, rodgering a good opportunity for U.K.Ltd and leaving us later to buy the seemingly inferior F-35B at any price the U.S. think they can get away with.
I can see the Indians ( I dealt with them on Sea Harrier FRS51, a great highly professional team, though not too sure about groundcrew support, from photo's I've seen ) having their sights firmly set on Invincible, and using her for a good few years !
She would be very useful in Australia after all, in the event they could afford Harriers or I suppose F-35B.
Towards the end of their lives, the old Bulwark ( 'Rusty B' ) and Ark Royal were known for the lower compartments filled with concrete - one way of stopping water ingress I suppose, but I don't think I'll try it on my little fibreglass 'yacht'...
How about we sell off surplus Admirals & keep the ships ?!
Last edited by Double Zero; 10th Jul 2009 at 13:54.