Vessel saw service in Bosnia, Iraq, Sierra Leone and the Philippines
- It will be axed this year following sister ships HMS Invincible and Ark Royal
- Designers claim it could double as floating conference centre and aid ship
- Three striking 'sails' would rise above deck containing luxury restaurants
- Below deck could be a hospital, heavy-duty vehicles and vital equipment
- Design one of several received by MoD which says ship should avoid scrap
By DAN BLOOM
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British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious could continue its life as a disaster relief ship - despite getting a radical makeover as a luxury yacht.
Bold plans have reimagined the 31-year-old vessel, which leaves Royal Navy service later this year, as the 'Commonwealth Yacht' with three modern 'sails' containing bedrooms, restaurants and conference suites towering above deck.
Yet below deck the 23,000-tonne vessel could still contain a hospital, heavy-duty trucks and equipment to help in a global disaster, designers claim.
+16Bold: The design for HMS Illustrious, Britain's last current serving aircraft carrier, features three 'sails' with restaurants and conference centres above deck - but a hospital and disaster relief supplies below it
+16Flight of fancy? The 'dual use' idea has been put forward to the MoD, though it is unclear how it would be funded
+16Iconic: HMS Illustrious, pictured returning to Portsmouth from the Philippines on Friday, is the last of three aircraft carriers to be replaced by the Royal Navy. Unlike its sister ships, it could avoid the scrap yard
The ship, which returned from an aid mission to the typhoon-hit Philippines on Friday, will be the last of the Navy's three Invincible class light aircraft carriers to be decommissioned later this year.
The controversial decision will leave Britain without a single aircraft carrier until two new £6 billion vessels enter service in 2020.
Unlike HMS Invincible and the Ark Royal, which ended up in Turkish scrapyards, the Ministry of Defence said it wanted to find a new use for HMS Illustrious and invited firms to bid for it.
The Commonwealth Yacht plan is one of the first to be made public and was the brainchild of two yacht design firms from Britain and Austria.
The futuristic drawings replace planes on the flight deck with swimming pools and instead of militaristic control towers would be the modern 'sails'.
+16Futuristic: Two yacht design firms from Britain and Austria say the ship could retain its ski-jump take-off ramp
+16Blue sky thinking: The aircraft carrier's militaristic control tower would be replaced with 'sails' which look more at home on a cruise ship, alongside swimming pools where jets once resided on the flight deck
+16Illustrious: The ship was one of three light aircraft carriers in the Invincible series and the last to leave service
Yet the ship could still be used actively as an aircraft carrier with its ski-jump take-off ramp remaining intact - providing a curious experience for those having a quiet swim.
Its designers, Portsmouth-based BMT Nigel Gee and the Viennese firm Sigmund Yacht Design, say it would be used to promote trade in the Commonwealth and host conferences.
Then if a global disaster happened it would spring into action, using its resources below deck.
Exact details of the plan, including how much it would cost, have not been announced publicly.
An organisation willing to fund and run the hybrid design - such as a charity or the United Nations - would also have to be persuaded to take it on and possibly tweak the design to their own purposes.
No organisation has yet agreed to do so, it is believed.
Sigmund Yacht Design owner Peter Symonds said: 'We are hoping to convince the MoD that this carrier has a life after the Royal Navy.
+16Crucial role: The ship returned to Portsmouth harbour on Friday from relief efforts in the Philippines
+16Vast: Pictured arriving on Friday, the ship weighs about 23,000 tonnes and is 636ft long, carrying 650 crew
+16When the ship is axed, Britain will be without an aircraft carrier until two vessels enter service in 2020
+16Stormy times ahead: The crew of HMS Illustrious salute as she arrives into Portsmouth Harbour on Friday
+16Pride: The ship's five-month aid mission to the Philippines will have been one of its last for the Navy
+16Return: Sailors disembarked on Friday having not seen their partners, parents and children for five months
'She may be 30 years old but we believe there is a role in the world for her yet. We thought she would be fantastic as a luxury yacht, but also there is the idea to have her as a Commonwealth aid ship.
'She has just come back from the Philippines, so maybe we can convince a charity or the United Nations to invest in her to perform that role as well.
'There is a lot of talk about what she could be used for, but no-one has put pen to paper to actually show what she could look like and how it might work.
'We believe our design is a brave interpretation of such a distinguished vessel, stating boldly its new purpose, while paying respect to its impressive heritage.'
James Roy, yacht design director at BMT Nigel Gee, added: 'In recognising the importance of preserving such an iconic vessel, we came up with the idea of a "Commonwealth Yacht", where Illustrious could serve all nations of the Commonwealth as a vehicle for promoting trade, attending international events, and undertaking humanitarian and disaster relief work around the globe.'
Known to her crew as Lusty, the ship is the fifth Royal Navy warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious.
+16Reunited: Kayleigh Dawson kisses her boyfriend Sam Moysey, one of those who served on the Philippines mission
+16Joyous: Petty Officer Andrew Boote with his three-year-old son Max Boote at Portsmouth Harbour
+16Emotional: Thousands of friends and relatives witnessed one of the ship's last returns to Portsmouth
+16Welcome: The band of the Royal Marines playing on Friday. The Invincible class of aircraft carriers will be replaced with two £6 billion vessels, which are due to enter service in 2020
Entering service just after the Falklands War in 1982, she helped to maintain the no-fly zone over Bosnia during the war there in the early 1990s.
She was deployed to operate the no-fly zone in Iraq during Operation Southern Watch in 1998, and led the naval task force to Sierra Leone during that country's civil war in 2000.
Various refits later, the Government decided during the defence cuts in 2010 that Illustrious would be retired from service in 2014.
Other bids for the ship, which had to be finalised last month, exist from the cities of Portsmouth and Hull to retain her as a heritage attraction.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: 'All interested parties needed to complete an industry day application form and return it to the Disposal Services Authority (DSA) by December 10.
'For commercial reasons we cannot discuss individual applications received by the DSA.
'A number of applications have been received and these are being assessed.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2539398/Royal-Navy-aircraft-carrier-HMS-Illustrious-axed-MoD-new-lease-life-luxury-yacht-doubles-disaster-relief-ship.html#ixzz2qdInwWlE
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