Looking like it's been picked up and dumped in the middle of London, the hulking figure of the Navy's
flagship HMS Ark Royal sits silently, moored in Greenwich. The ship steamed up the River Thames and was
moored between two buoys to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the Falklands conflict. The ship, which
has just received an £18million upgrade dwarfs the buildings of Greenwich, including the famous observatory
which can be seen in the top right hand corner of the picture. (in the link)
The warship is not open to the general public during her stay in London, but will be hosting a number of events
for community groups and local schools.The Portsmouth-based vessel has just completed the multi-national
joint training exercise Noble Mariner 07 in the Baltic Sea in preparation for her leading Command ship role
within the Nato Response Force.
HMS Ark Royal's commanding officer, Captain Mike Mansergh, said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity
to pay a visit to London. It is very appropriate that the fleet flagship should be in London at this time of commemoration."
He added: "This has been a hugely challenging period and I am delighted with the performance of the ship's
company and the ship. We are now ready in all respects to deploy anywhere in the world to support a wide range of missions."
Ark Royal is one of three Invincible class aircraft carriers and is currently operating as a helicopter carrier.
