Jim - Thank you for your considerate reply. I have heard so many varying opinions about the state of the GR9s (many of them recently refitted) that I'm unsure whether they had years of useful life left in them or were flying pension traps while operating over Afghanistan! In general, I don't believe their airframes were any older or less airworthy than the Tornados.
I guess we'll just have to make do with HMS Ocean (larger than a CVS) off Libya with her embarked AAC Apaches and FAA Sea King Mk7 ASaC 'Baggers' although Ark Royal could easily have accommodated these plus half a dozen or more Harriers.