[sukhoi-30mki]

The warship, pictured upon her return to Portsmouth for the final time, is the last of the UK's Invincible-class aircraft carriers

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3578289/Sold-scrap-Britain-s-working-aircraft-carrier-HMS-Illustrious-final-surviving-warship-Falklands-War-heading-junkyard.html#ixzz47zgWpklr Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[sukhoi-30mki]

[Parley Baer]

Symbolic as that is the way the whole country is heading.

[Jeff Chandler]

1. When Britain first, at Heaven's command
Arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain:
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

2. The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall;
While thou shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

3. Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke;
As the loud blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

4. Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame:
All their attempts to bend thee down,
Will but arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

5. To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities shall with commerce shine:
All thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

6. The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair; Blest Isle!
With matchless beauty crown'd,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

[catnipman]

The formerly mighty British empire now down to zero aircraft carriers.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

When I worked on an RCCL ship as a musician in 2005, a good number of the safety officers were Brits and they had served in the Falklands war and 2 or 3 of them had been on a ship that was hit by a missile and was sunk. You could see in their body language the gravity of that memory on them. They said the ship lost power and began to list badly then very badly, to the point where you really could not get out unless you had your route memorized and could practically hoist yourself up by whatever you could grab. It obviously scared the crap out of them.

[KarlInOhio]

34 years ago. What percentage of our Navy is 34 or more years old? Imagine going into WW II with ships that were 8 years old at the beginning of WW I.

[Snickering Hound]

No Harriers since 2010, they’ve just been flying helicopters.