Hms Ark Royal

HMS ''Ark Royal'' is a name that has been borne by five ships in the British Royal Navy .

The first ''Ark Royal'' was built as ''Ark Raleigh'' at Deptford on the River Thames in 1587 , to the order of Sir Walter Raleigh . She was bought by Queen Elizabeth's navy for £5,000 ("money well given", according to her new commander, Lord Howard Of Effingham ) and, as ''Ark Royal'', was the flagship of the English fleet during the Spanish Armada campaign of 1588 . In 1608 , under the new monarch James I , she was rebuilt and renamed ''Anne Royal''. She was broken up in 1636 .

The second ''Ark Royal'' , after a gap of almost 300 years, was a merchant ship converted on the building stocks to be a seaplane carrier and was the world's first Aircraft Carrier . Built in Blyth, Northumberland , she was launched in 1914 , she served in the Dardanelles Campaign and throughout World War I . She was renamed HMS ''Pegasus'' in 1934 , to free the name ''Ark Royal'' for a new ship, and was broken up in 1950 .

The third ''Ark Royal'' (91) was launched in 1938, saw action in World War II , and was sunk by a U-boat in 1941 .

The fourth ''Ark Royal'' (R09) was an ''Audacious''-class Fleet Aircraft Carrier . After starring in the 1970s BBC series "Sailor", she eventually went to the breaker's yard in 1980 .

The fifth ''Ark Royal'' (R07) is an ''Invincible''-class Aircraft Carrier . She served in the 2003 Invasion Of Iraq .

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