My friends and I are planning a trip to HMS Illustrious this coming weekend. My dad actually served on Illustrious during the Falklands War, and I wanted to honor his memory after he died from lung cancer last fall.
The story of Illustrious is certainly intriguing. She actually began her life in 1945 as USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and served the US Navy for 32 years. When she was decommissioned in 1977, Roosevelt was saved from the scrap heap by the United Kingdom, who offered to take her off America's hands. Roosevelt spent four years in Scapa Flow being overhauled, finally being commissioned in the winter of 1982 as HMS Illustrious. "Lusty" came just in time for the Falklands War, where she gave exemplary service. Illustrious continued to serve in the Royal Navy until 1992, when she was decommissioned and turned into a museum, becoming the last CATOBAR aircraft carrier to be operated by the Royal Navy.
So, what do you think would happen if Britain decided not to buy old FDR in '77?