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| 1943-may-3 | | | Laid down | | | | as HMS Irresistible | |
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| 1950-mar-3 | | | Launched | | |  | Cammell Laird Birkenhead as HMS Ark Royal | |
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| 1955-feb-25 | | | Commissioned | | | | Deck id O until 1957, then R | |
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| 1957-jun | | | Port Visit | | | | Visited New York, USA for the International Naval Review | |
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| 1958-jan | | | Aircraft | | | | until Sep 1958, Dragonfly HR.5 of 701 NAS B Flight embarked | |
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| 1958-jun | | | Aircraft | | | | 6 Whilrwind HAS.7 of 820 NAS embarked for Mediterranean operations until Aug 1958 | |
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| 1959 | | | Refit | | | | Refit on HMD Devonport, removed deck edge lift, added Type 965 radar. Fire broke out 9 Apr 1959 during the refit. | |
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| 1960-mar | | | Aircraft | | | | until Oct 1960, Whirlwind HAS.7 of 820 NAS B Flight embarked | |
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| 1960-mar | | | Aircraft | | | | until Feb 1961, Whirlwind HAS.7 of 824 NAS embarked | |
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| 1960-dec-3 | | | Deployment | | | | exercising in Mediterranean with HMS Hermes and HMS Victorious | |
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| 1961-nov-13 | | | Aircraft | | | | until Dec 1963, Wessex of 815 NAS embarked. | |
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| 1961-nov-13 | | | Deployment | | | | departed HMNB Devonport for 3 month Mediterranean work up, returning Jan 1962 | |
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| 1961-dec-16 | | | Port Visit | | | |  Grand Harbour / il-Port il-Kbir / Valetta Grand Harbour to Grand Harbour, Malta, until 5 Jan 1962 | |
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| 1962-jan-16 | | | Refit | | | | damaged propellors when ran aground in Plymouth Sound, en route HMD Devonport dry dock for post-workup repairs and refit, until 2 Mar 1962 | |
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| 1962-mar-9 | | | Deployment | | | | departed HMNB Devonport and embarked Wessex HAS.1 of 815 NAS on 10 Jan, for 4th Commission in Far East, until Dec 1963 | |
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| 1962-mar-27 | | | Deployment | | | |  Aden relieved HMS Centaur in Aden as East of Suez carrier | |
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| 1962-apr-12 | | | Deployment | | | |  Sembawang naval base Singapore arrived on Far East Station at Singapore | |
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| 1962-jul-21 | | | Deployment | | | |  Pulau Tioman South China Sea  Exercise FOTEX 62 departed Singapore for show of force off Pulau Tioman island, before participating in Exercise FOTEX 62 | |
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| 1964-jan-4 | | | Refit | | | | at HMD Devonport until Nov 1964, fittings for 4x Seacat launchers added and equipped for Buccaneer operations. Fire broke out while circuit testing on 13 Oct, during refit. | |
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| 1965-jun | | | Aircraft | | | | until Sep 1966, Wessex HAS.1 of 815 NAS embarked | |
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| 1965-oct-30 | | | Refit | | | | Fire in boiler room while undergoing routine repairs in Singapore, delayed for 3 weeks. | |
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| 1966-mar-6 | | | Deployment | | | | Mozambique Channel Beira Beira Patrol Beira Patrol, off Moazmbique to enforce UN sanctions against Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) | |
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| 1966-may | | | Deployment | | | | Beira Patrol Beira Patrol, off Moazmbique to enforce UN sanctions against Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Relieved HMS Eagle. | |
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| 1966-oct-5 | | | Refit | | | | until Dec 1969, the Phantomisation refit, strengthening the flight deck and angling at 8.5 deg, installation of Type 982/3 radars, Corvus chaff and fitting the Seacat missile launchers. Re-commissioned on 25 Feb 1970. | |
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| 1969-jun-12 | | | Refit | | | | during refit, fire broke out while in HMD Devonport. | |
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| 1970-feb | | | Aircraft | | | | until Dec 1978, Sea King HAS.2 of 824 NAS embarked | |
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| 1970-dec-18 | | | Refit | | | | until 15 Apr 1971 in refit at HMD Devonport | |
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| 1971-jun-2 | | | Deployment | | | | departed HMNB Devonport for 2 month Caribbean and North Atlantic deployment, returning 30 Jul | |
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| 1971-oct-30 | | | Deployment | | | | departed from HMNB Portsmouth for a 5 week Mediterranean deployment, returning to HMNB Devonport 7 Dec | |
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| 1972-jan-20 | | | Deployment | | | | departed HMNB Devonport for 6 week Caribbean and North Atlantic deployment, returning 9 Mar | |
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| 1972-jan-26 | | | Deployment | | | | Bermuda area near Bermuda detached from exercise with US Navy and ordered towards British Honduras. On 26 Jan she launched Buccaneers of 809 NAS at extreme range to overfly the capital to deter Guatemalan ambitions. | |
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| 1974-sep-4 | | | Aircraft | | | | Wessex XS875 accident off northern Scotland | |
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| 1976-feb-5 | | | Deployment | | | | departed HMNB Devonport on Western Atlantic deployment with 824 NAS Sea Kings embarked, returning on 16 Jul. | |
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| 1976-mar-1 | | | Port Visit | | | |  Roosevelt Roads 3 day visit to Puerto Rico, departing 3 Mar | |
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| 1976-oct | | | Refit | | | | refit at HMD Devonport, with works on catapults and focus on sub-surface improvements, until Feb 1977 | |
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| 1977-jun-25 | | | Deployment | | | | Fleet Review: Silver Jubilee of HM The Queen Flag Ship at Silver Jubilee Fleet Review off Ryde Sand | |
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| 1978-apr-5 | | | Deployment | | | | left HMD Devonport for North Atlantic and Mediterranean, her final deployment, returning 4 Dec 1978 | |
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| 1978-dec | | | Decommissioned | | | | | |
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| 1979-feb-13 | | | Struck | | | | Paid off | |
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| 1980-sep-22 | | | Fate: scrapped | | | | Cairnryan, Dumfries Breakers Yard departed HMD Devonport under tow for Cairnryan, scrapped from Oct 1980 | |
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