*British, Royal Navy, White Ensign from HMS Illustrious*
This is an enormous ensign displaying the Union Jack in the first quadrant of the St George’s Cross, measuring approx 265cm x 537cm. Marked on the reverse: 12 BDS WHITE ENSIGN 0330-99-571 32944 ST4B/9115.
HMS Illustrious was the last of the Royal Navy’s Invincible-class aircraft carriers – was decommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Base on August 28 2014, marking the end of her 32-year career. She was launched by Princess Margaret in 1978 and sailed more than 900,000 miles on operations worldwide.
HMS Illustrious, a light aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, belonged to the trio of Invincible-class ships built in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She marked the fifth warship and the second aircraft carrier to carry the name Illustrious, affectionately referred to by her crew as “Lusty.” Prompted by the Falklands conflict in 1982, she hurriedly joined HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes in the South Atlantic after an expedited completion at Swan Hunter Shipyard. Commissioned at sea on June 20, 1982, she relieved Invincible on August 28, 1982, formally entering the fleet on March 20, 1983, upon returning to the United Kingdom.
Following her South Atlantic deployment, Illustrious played vital roles in Operation Southern Watch in Iraq, Operation Deny Flight in Bosnia, and Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone. Despite missing the 2003 Iraq War due to a significant refit in 2002, she aided British citizens during the 2006 Lebanon War. In 2008, Illustrious became the star of Channel 5’s six-part documentary Warship, which followed its deployment to the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East. Upon retiring her fixed-wing British Aerospace Harrier II aircraft in 2010, Illustrious operated as one of the Royal Navy’s two helicopter carriers. After 32 years of service, she was decommissioned on August 28, 2014. Despite initial plans for preservation, she was sold for scrapping in 2016. She was replaced replaced by HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2017.
Reference Photograph of HMS ILLUSTRIOUS decommissioning ceremony at Portsmouth. Picture: Alex Knott. (Photograph not included)
*Condition*
This ensign is in excellent condition with some age related wear and tear. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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