Does anyone know if HMS Invincible paid a visit to Station Pier, Melbourne, Australia? I have an unreliable childhood memory that it did as I used to check the local shipping lists and wag school heading off to the port whenever something interesting came to town.
Yes. she did, and also to Wellington [1982?]e as a thank you to NZ for assistance during Falklands. New Zealand offered the UK a Frigate, which offer was accepted, although the RNZN ship never actually went to the Falklands but relieved a RN ship somewhere off Africa which did! RNZN Comms at Irirangi, a stone frigate in the wilds of the North Island, was also used extensively as a relay for signals down south.