R-05 Invincible

Country:  United Kingdom

Class, [Type]: Invincible, [CVV].

Builder: Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering, Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.

Launch date: 03 May 1977.

Commission date: 11 July 1980.

Decommission date: 03 August 2005.

Displacement ( tons ): 20.600 full load.

Dimensions ( metres ): 209,1 x 36 x 8

Main machinery: 4 x Rolls Royce Olympus TM3B gast turbines ( 97.200 hp ).

Speed ( knots ): 28.

Range ( miles ): 7.000 at 19 knots.

Complement: 685 ( 60 officers ) + 366 ( 80 officers ) of the embarked air unit, and acommodation for 600 marines.

Guns: 3 x Signaal/General Electric Goalkeeper 30mm, 2 x Oerlikon/BMARC GAM-B01 20mm.

Missiles:  SAM: 1 x British Aerospace Sea Dart double launcher, bow ( removed ).

Radar: Air: Marconi/Signaal Type 1022, 265km range, D band; Surface: Plessey Type 996, E/F bands; Navigation: 2 x Kelvin Hughes Type 1006, I band; Fire Control: 2 x Marconi Type 909, I/J bands. Weapons Control: GWS 30 Mod 2, for Sea Dart.

Sonar: Plessey Type 2016, hull mounted, active search and attack modes.

Countermeasures: Decoys: 8 x Sea Gnat dispensers; Prairie/Masker hull and blades noise supressor; ESM: MEL UAA 2 ( interceptor ); ECM: Thorn EMI Tipo 675 ( jammer ).

Helicopter: up to 9 x Westland Sea King HAS 6 or EH 101 Merlin, 3 x Westland Sea King AEW 2.

Aviation: 9 x British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA2 and 6 x Harrier GR 7.

Callsign: GUCL ()

Comment: On january 1989, the Invincible completed a modernization process of 27 months. During that process a 12º sky-jump was added, more space and material to support up to 21 aircraft, three Goalkeeper systems, sonar, Sea Gnat decoys and a new radar. Acommodation for 120 more was provided. During 1998 and 1999 the Sea Dart system were removed.

Similar units:

 R06 Illustrious
 R07 Ark Royal