View source for Invincible-class aircraft carrier

{{Short description|Royal Navy aircraft carrier class}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2021}}
{{more footnotes|date=September 2011}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:HMS Ark Royal MOD 45151273.jpg
| Ship caption = [[HMS Ark Royal (R07)|HMS ''Ark Royal'']] in 2008
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = ''Invincible'' class
| Builders = *[[Swan Hunter]]
*[[Vickers Limited Shipbuilding Group]]
| Operators = {{navy|United Kingdom}}
| Class before = *{{sclass|Audacious|aircraft carrier|0}} fleet carrier
*{{sclass|Centaur|aircraft carrier|0}} light carrier
| Class after = {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|aircraft carrier|4}}
| Subclasses = 
| Cost = 
| Built range = 1973–1981
| In service range = 
| In commission range = 1980–2014
| Total ships building = 
| Total ships planned = 
| Total ships completed = 3
| Total ships cancelled = 
| Total ships active = 
| Total ships lost = 
| Total ships scrapped = 3
| Total ships preserved = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = 
| Ship type = [[Light aircraft carrier]]
| Ship displacement = 22,000 tonnes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Ships/Assault-Ships/HMS-Illustrious |title=HMS Illustrious |publisher=Royal Navy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117044121/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Ships/Assault-Ships/HMS-Illustrious |archive-date=17 January 2012}}</ref>
| Ship length = {{convert|209|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|36|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|8|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship power = 
| Ship propulsion = *[[Combined gas and gas|COGAG]]
*4 × [[Rolls-Royce Olympus|Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B]] gas turbines
*8 × [[Paxman Valenta]] diesel generators
*{{convert|100000|shp|MW|abbr=on}}
*2 shafts
| Ship speed = *{{convert|28|kn|abbr=on}} maximum
*{{convert|18|kn|abbr=on}} cruising
| Ship range = {{convert|7000|nmi|abbr=on}} at cruising speed
| Ship endurance = 
| Ship troops = Up to 500 Marines
| Ship complement = 650 ships company, 350 air crew
| Ship sensors = *[[Type 1022 Radar|Type 1022 Air Search Radar]]
*Type 996 Surface Search Radar
*Type 1006/1007 Navigation Radar
*Type 909 Fire Control Radar (until 1998-2000)
*[[Sonar 2016|Type 2016 Sonar]]
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = * [[Sea Dart missile]] system (removed during late 1990s)
* 2 × 20&nbsp;mm [[anti-aircraft gun]]s
*3 [[Phalanx CIWS|Phalanx]]/[[Goalkeeper CIWS|Goalkeeper]] [[close-in weapons system]]s
| Ship armour = 
| Ship aircraft = 
*Until December 2010, 22 aircraft;
**''Multi Mission - Strike, [[Anti-surface warfare|ASuW]] and [[Anti-submarine warfare|ASW]]''
***12 x [[RAF Harrier II|Harrier GR.7/9]]
***10 x [[Westland Sea King ASaC7|Sea King ASaC]] and [[AgustaWestland EH101|Merlin HM Mk.1]] helicopters
** ''Multi Mission - Strike and ASuW''
***18 x [[RAF Harrier II|Harrier GR.7/9]]
***4 x [[Westland Sea King ASaC7|Sea King ASaC]]  and [[AgustaWestland EH101|Merlin HM Mk.1]] helicopters<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.warshipsifr.com/interview_alanWest.html |title=The Big Interview: Admiral Sir Alan West |access-date=18 October 2024 |archive-date=31 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231011315/http://warshipsifr.com/interview_alanWest.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| Ship aircraft facilities = *{{convert|168|m|abbr=on}} axial flight deck
*Bow 12° [[Aircraft ski-jump|ski-jump]]
| Ship notes = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/invincible/index.html|title=Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers, United Kingdom|work=Naval-technology.com|access-date=5 August 2011|archive-date=19 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619043019/http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/invincible/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}
|}

The '''''Invincible'' class''' was a [[ship class|class]] of [[light aircraft carrier]] operated by the [[Royal Navy]]. Three ships were constructed: {{HMS|Invincible|R05|6}}, {{HMS|Illustrious|R06|6}} and {{HMS|Ark Royal|R07|6}}. The vessels were built as aviation-capable [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) platforms to counter the [[Cold War]] [[North Atlantic]] [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] submarine threat, and initially embarked [[British Aerospace Sea Harrier|Sea Harrier]] aircraft and [[Westland Sea King|Sea King HAS.1]] anti-submarine helicopters. With cancellation of the [[CVA-01|aircraft carriers renewal programme]] in the 1960s, the three ships became the replacements for the [[Audacious-class aircraft carrier|''Audacious-class'']] fleet carriers and the {{sclass|Centaur|aircraft carrier|0}} light fleet carriers, and the Royal Navy's sole class of aircraft carrier.

The three vessels saw active service in a number of locations, including the [[South Atlantic]] during the [[Falklands War]], the [[Adriatic]] during the [[Bosnian War]], and in the [[Middle East]] for the [[2003 Invasion of Iraq]].

''Invincible'' was decommissioned in 2005 and put in reserve in a low state of readiness.<ref name="reserve">{{cite news|url=http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow-built-invincible-thrown-out-of-the-navy-1.765422?referrerPath=home |work=North West Evening Mail |title=Barrow-built Invincible thrown out of the Navy |date=5 October 2010 |access-date=30 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913152918/http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow-built-invincible-thrown-out-of-the-navy-1.765422?referrerPath=home |archive-date=13 September 2014 }}</ref><ref name=ForSale>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8165331/Aircraft-carrier-HMS-Invincible-is-put-up-for-sale.html |work=The Telegraph |title=Aircraft carrier HMS Invincible is put up for sale |last=Rayment |first=Sean |date=28 November 2010 |access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> She was sold to a Turkish scrapyard in February 2011,<ref name=Sold08Feb11>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12396523 |work=BBC News |title=HMS Invincible sold to Turkish ship recyclers |date=8 February 2011 |access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> and left Portsmouth under tow on 24 March 2011.<ref name=Towed24Mar11/> Pursuant to the [[Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010|Strategic Defence and Security Review, 2010]], ''Ark Royal'' followed, decommissioning on 13 March 2011. This left ''Illustrious'' as the sole remaining ship, serving as a [[helicopter carrier]] from 2011 to 2014 when it was decommissioned as well.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8376386/Ark-Royal-decommissioning-marks-end-of-a-long-and-celebrated-history.html |title=Ark Royal: decommissioning marks end of a long and celebrated history |last=Ward |first=Victoria |date=11 March 2011 |access-date=17 October 2015 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref name="news.stv.tv">{{cite news|url=http://news.stv.tv/scotland/east-central/258714-hms-illustrious-leaves-rosyth-after-40m-refit |title=HMS Illustrious leaves Rosyth after £40m refit |date=2011-06-20 |access-date=2012-04-03 |publisher=STV |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623061953/http://news.stv.tv/scotland/east-central/258714-hms-illustrious-leaves-rosyth-after-40m-refit/ |archive-date=23 June 2011 }}</ref> Although the helicopter carrier [[HMS Ocean (L12)|HMS ''Ocean'']] remained in service, the Royal Navy was without a true aircraft carrier for the first time in nearly a century, until the commissioning of the first of two {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|aircraft carrier|0}} aircraft carriers in December 2017.

==Development==
The ''Invincible'' class has its origins in a sketch design for a 6,000-[[long ton|ton]], guided-missile armed, helicopter carrying escort cruiser intended as a complement to the much larger [[CVA-01|CVA-01-class]] fleet aircraft carrier.<ref name="Grove">{{cite book|title=Vanguard to Trident; British Naval Policy since World War II |first=Eric J. |last=Grove |publisher=The Bodley Head |date=1987 |isbn=0-370-31021-7}}</ref> The cancellation of CVA-01 in 1966 meant that the smaller cruiser would now have to provide the [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) taskforce with [[Command and control (military)|command and control]] facilities. Two new designs were prepared for this requirement;<ref name="Grove"/> a 12,500-ton cruiser with missiles forward, six Westland Sea King helicopters and a flight deck aft, somewhat similar to {{ship|Italian cruiser|Vittorio Veneto|550|2}} of the [[Marina Militare|Italian Navy]] and a larger 17,500-ton vessel with a "through-deck", nine Sea Kings and missiles right forward. By 1970, the "through-deck" design had advanced into a Naval Staff Requirement for an 18,750-ton Through-Deck Command Cruiser (TDCC).<ref name="Grove"/>

In February 1963, the [[Hawker P.1127]] VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft had landed and taken-off from the carrier {{HMS|Ark Royal|R09|2}} and the subsequent [[Hawker P.1127#Kestrel FGA.1|Hawker-Siddeley Kestrel]] had undergone trials from the "Commando carrier" (an aircraft carrier operating helicopters) {{HMS|Bulwark|R08|6}}. It was therefore perfectly possible that the new "cruisers" could be used to operate VTOL aircraft.<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1969/mar/26/cruisers-vstol-aircraft Hansard HC Deb 26 March 1969 vol 780 c303W] ''Cruisers (V/STOL Aircraft)''<br>"[[Patrick Wall|''Mr. Wall'']] asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new cruisers will operate vertical/short take-off and landing aircraft; and when it is expected the first will be ordered.<br>[[John Morris, Baron Morris of Aberavon|''Mr. John Morris'']] No decision has yet been taken whether vertical and short take-off and landing aircraft should be operated at sea. It is too early to say when the first of the new cruisers will be ordered."</ref> The new ships were called [[aircraft cruiser|"through-deck cruisers"]] and not "aircraft carrier". This was in part because CVA-01's cancellation was so recent, but also because the ships were intended to serve in traditional cruiser roles of [[Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence|C<sup>3</sup>I]] and anti-submarine warfare, and were constructed like cruisers.<ref name="james19991">{{cite journal | url=http://www.naval-review.co.uk/issues/1999-1.pdf | title=Carrier 2000: A Consideration of Naval Aviation in the Millennium – I | author=James, D. R. | journal=The Naval Review | date=January 1999 | volume=87 | issue=1 | pages=3–8 | access-date=12 December 2011 | archive-date=26 April 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426045355/http://www.naval-review.co.uk/issues/1999-1.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> The "aircraft carrier" name did not officially appear in association with the ships until the 1980 [[Defence Estimates]] referred to the ''Invincible''s as such.<ref>{{cite book|last=Benbow |first=Tim |title=Seapower at the Millennium |editor=Geoffrey Till |publisher=Royal Navy Museum Publications and Sutton Publishing |location=Thrupp, Gloucestershire|year=2001 |chapter=British Naval Aviation: Limited Global Power Projection |isbn=0-7509-2458-6 |pages=61, 341}}</ref>

Economic problems in the UK in the early 1970s delayed progress on the new ships, but the design continued to evolve. The order for the first ship was given to [[Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering|Vickers (Shipbuilding)]] on 17 April 1973.<ref name="Moore">''Warships of the Royal Navy'', Capt. John E. Moore RN, Jane's Publishing, 1981, {{ISBN|0-7106-0105-0}}</ref> By now, the design was for a 19,000-ton "CAH"<ref name="Grove"/> (helicopter carrying heavy cruiser, styled after the [[US Navy hull classification symbol]]s) with up to fourteen aircraft and a [[Sea Dart missile]] launcher on the bows.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

The government decided that the carrier needed fixed-wing aircraft to defend against Soviet reconnaissance aircraft.{{r|james19991}} In May 1975, it authorised the maritime version of the [[Hawker Siddeley Harrier]],<ref name="Grove"/><ref name="Moore"/> which was successfully developed into the [[BAE Sea Harrier|Sea Harrier]]. This meant that the design was reworked again to include a small complement of these [[VTOL]] aircraft. The comparatively short {{convert|170|m|adj=on}} [[flight deck]] made even [[STOVL]] rolling take-offs marginal for launching fully laden Harriers. The development of the [[Ski-jump (aviation)|ski-jump]] made it possible to launch in all conditions by propelling the aircraft upwards at the end of its take-off roll. ''Invincible'' and ''Illustrious'' were equipped with 7° ski-jumps, and ''Ark Royal'' carried a 12° ski-jump.<ref name="hobbs2015">{{cite book |last1=Hobbs |first1=David |title=The British Carrier Strike Fleet: After 1945. |date=2015 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |isbn=9781612519999 |pages=469–472}}</ref> The class also had, since 1976,<ref name="Grove"/> a secondary role as a helicopter carrier, or [[Landing Platform, Helicopter|LPH]], in the reinforcement of NATO's Northern flank in Norway. In 1998, {{HMS|Ocean|L12|6}}, with a hull form based on that of the ''Invincible'' class, was commissioned specifically for this role.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

[[File:HMS Invincible 1991 DN-ST-92-01125s.jpg|thumb|left|HMS ''Invincible'' in 1991]]
After the 1982 [[Falklands War]], [[CIWS]] guns were added to the design. ''Illustrious'' had them fitted at the last minute before commissioning, ''Ark Royal'' had them added as a normal part of the building process, and ''Invincible'' had them fitted during her first overhaul after the Falklands. Initially, ''Invincible'' and ''Illustrious'' were fitted with two [[Phalanx CIWS|Vulcan Phalanx]] units; these were replaced with three [[Goalkeeper CIWS|Goalkeeper]] systems. ''Ark Royal'' retained the three [[Phalanx CIWS]] systems she was fitted with when built (she could be easily distinguished from her sisters by the Phalanx's distinctive white "[[R2-D2]]" radome). Electronic countermeasures were provided by a Thales jamming system and ECM system. [[Seagnat]] launchers were provided for chaff or flare decoys. As part of upgrades during the mid-1990s, all three ships had the Sea Dart removed, with the forecastle filled in to increase the size of the flight deck.

===Foreign interest===
In the mid-1970s, the [[Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah]] of [[Pahlavi dynasty|Iran]] expressed interest in acquiring three ''Invincible''-class ships and a fleet of twenty-five [[BAE Sea Harrier|Sea Harriers]] to provide fleet defence. When the [[Iranian Navy]] could not commit to providing sufficient personnel for manning the vessels, the ship order was cancelled in 1976.<ref name=Iran>[http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11062.0.html Secret Projects, 13 September 2010]</ref> A later proposal to buy four "Harrier-type" vessels was also discarded, as were later negotiations to buy the Sea Harrier.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

The [[1981 Defence White Paper]] and its planned reduction in the size of the carrier fleet saw ''Invincible'' marked as surplus to requirements, and the ship was offered for sale to the [[Royal Australian Navy]] in July 1981 as a replacement for the ageing aircraft carrier {{HMAS|Melbourne|R21|6}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wright |first=Anthony |title=Australian Carrier Decisions: the acquisition of HMA Ships Albatross, Sydney and Melbourne |orig-year=1978 |series=Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs (No. 4) |date=June 1998 |publisher=Sea Power Centre |location=Canberra |isbn=0-642-29503-4 |oclc=39641731 |issn=1327-5658 |page=167}}</ref> The class had previously been considered and discarded as a potential replacement for the Australian ship, but the low [[Pound sterling|£]]175&nbsp;million ([[Australian dollar|A$]]285&nbsp;million) offer price and the already-constructed state of the vessel prompted the Australian government to announce in February 1982 their intention to accept the British offer.<ref name=Stevens227>{{cite book |author=Stevens, David |author2=Sears, Jason |author3=Goldrick, James |author4=Cooper, Alastair |author5=Jones, Peter |author6= Spurling, Kathryn  |editor=Stevens, David |title=The Royal Australian Navy |series=The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III) |year=2001 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=South Melbourne, VIC |isbn=0-19-554116-2 |oclc=50418095 |page=227}}</ref> In Australian service, the ship would have been named HMAS ''Australia'', and would operate as a helicopter carrier until a later decision on the acquisition of Sea Harriers was made.<ref name=Hobbs9>{{cite journal |last=Hobbs |first=Commander David |date=October 2007 |title=HMAS ''Melbourne'' (II) – 25 Years On |journal=The Navy |volume=69 |issue=4 |page=9 |issn=1322-6231}}</ref> ''Invincible''{{'}}s service during the Falklands War showed that the White Paper's suggested reductions were flawed and both nations withdrew from the deal in July 1982.<ref name=Stevens227/>

==Falklands War==
Prior to 1982, ''Invincible''{{'}}s air group consisted purely of Sea King HAS.5 anti-submarine helicopters and [[BAE Sea Harrier|Sea Harrier FRS.1]] aircraft. Typically, nine Sea Kings, and four or five Sea Harriers were embarked. This was due to the fact that the originally envisioned mission for the ships was to provide the heart of [[Antisubmarine warfare|ASW]] hunter-killer groups in the North Atlantic during a war against the [[Soviet Union]]. In that context, the main weapon of the carrier would not be its fighter aircraft, but its ASW helicopters. The fighters were on board to shoot down the occasional Soviet [[maritime patrol aircraft]] nosing around the ship and its escorts.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

The [[Falklands War]] changed that posture, since it proved that Britain needed to retain the capability to use carrier air power in its traditional role of [[power projection]], both over land, and against enemy fleets. The Falklands War saw ''Invincible'', and the larger and older {{HMS|Hermes|R12|6}} filled to capacity with both the Sea Harrier and the [[Royal Air Force]] [[Hawker Siddeley Harrier|Harrier GR3]] ground attack variant of the aircraft, along with ASW helicopters. The RAF Harriers proved to be a temporary aberration at the time, but a permanent addition to the usual air group was made due to lessons learned during the war: the [[Westland Sea King#Variants|Sea King AEW2A]] ([[airborne early warning]]) version. ''Illustrious'' carried the first examples of the type when it was rushed south in the aftermath of the Falklands War to relieve ''Invincible'' of its guard duty around the islands.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

[[File:USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) & HMS Illustrious (R 06).jpg|thumb|{{HMS|Illustrious|R06|6}} (right) with the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier {{USS|John C. Stennis|CVN-74|6}}]]

In the aftermath of the Falklands, the typical air group was three AEW Sea Kings, nine ASW Sea Kings and eight or nine Sea Harriers. Analysis of the Sea Harrier's performance during the war led to the requirement for an upgrade, approval for which was granted in 1984. The [[BAE Sea Harrier#FA.2|Sea Harrier FA.2]] entered service in 1993 and deployed on ''Invincible'' to Bosnia in 1994. The FA2 featured the [[Blue Vixen]] radar which was described as one of the most advanced pulse Doppler radars in the world. The FA2 carried the [[AIM-120 AMRAAM]]. The final new build Sea Harrier FA2 was delivered on 18 January 1999. Other improvements were made to the class during the 1980s and early 1990s, in particular to increase the ski-jump exit angle on ''Invincible'' and ''Illustrious'' to 12° to match ''Ark Royal''.<ref name="hobbs2015"/>

==Modernization==
[[File:HMS Invincible (R05) undergoing overhaul and modernization.jpg|thumb|''Invincible'' undergoing overhaul and modernisation]]
In later years, three other changes were made. One was the removal of the Sea Dart system, creating an increased deck park for aircraft. The Sea Dart magazines were converted to increase air-to-surface weapons stowage, and new aircrew briefing facilities created under the extended flight deck, both to support the embarkation of RAF Harrier GR7s as a routine part of the air group. The ships were all fitted to handle [[AgustaWestland EH101|Merlin]] helicopters as the Merlin HM1 replaced the Sea King HAS6 in the carrier-borne ASW role. Following the integration of the Harrier GR7, typical deployments included seven or eight of those aircraft, pushing the Merlin onto the carrier's accompanying [[Fort Victoria class replenishment oiler|''Fort''-class auxiliaries]].

The last wartime deployments of the class saw them in their secondary LPH role, as it was officially judged that Sea Harriers could provide no useful role in the missions. During those deployments, the class embarked RAF [[Boeing Chinook (UK variants)|Chinook helicopters]], in lieu of their fixed-wing complement.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

''Invincible''{{'}}s final refit was in 2004.<ref name=ForSale/>

''Illustrious'' underwent a 16-month £40 million refit at [[Rosyth Dockyard]] during 2010 and 2011 in preparation for her new role as a [[helicopter carrier]] during the refit of {{HMS|Ocean|L12|6}}.<ref name="news.stv.tv"/>

==Final years==
[[File:HMS Queen Elizabeth alongside HMS Illustrious.jpg|thumb|''Illustrious'' (top) moored alongside {{HMS|Queen Elizabeth|R08|2}} at Rosyth in 2014, showing the difference in size between the ''Invincible'' class and the ships that will replace them]]
The Sea Harrier was officially retired on 1 April 2006. The principal weapon of the ''Invincible''-class carriers then became the [[Harrier GR9]] flown by two [[Fleet Air Arm]] and two RAF squadrons until they were retired in 2010.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

''Invincible'' was decommissioned in July 2005, and was mothballed until September 2010.<ref name="reserve"/> On 24 March 2011 ''Invincible'' left Portsmouth under tow for scrapping at Leyal Ship Recycling, Turkey.<ref name=Towed24Mar11>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-12845457 |title=Former HMS Invincible leaves Portsmouth |work=BBC News |date=24 March 2011 |access-date=21 June 2021 }}</ref>

''Ark Royal'' took over as the flagship, was planned to be decommissioned in 2016, but retired in 2010 following the [[Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010|Strategic Defence and Security Review]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

''Illustrious'' remained the only one of the class in service, but was also retired in 2014. After being laid up it left Portsmouth under tow to the shipbreakers in Turkey on 7 December 2016.<ref name="Ministry of Defence">{{cite web |url=http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/DefencePolicyAndBusiness/ChangesToRoyalNavysSurfaceFleetAnnounced.htm |title=Changes to Royal Navy's surface fleet announced|date=15 December 2010 |publisher=Ministry of Defence |access-date=15 December 2010}}</ref>

Two larger {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|aircraft carrier|2}}s replaced the Invincible class, with the first, [[HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)|HMS ''Queen Elizabeth'']], commissioned in late 2017.  They displace around 65,000 tonnes each<ref name=CVFnaval-technology>{{cite web |url=http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/cvf/ |title=Queen Elizabeth Class (CVF), United Kingdom |work=naval-technology.com | year=2015 |access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> – more than three times the displacement of the ''Invincible'' class.

==Ships in class==
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%;"
|-valign=top
! Name
! [[Pennant number|Pennant]]
! Image
! Builder
! Ordered
! Laid down
! Launched
! Commissioned
! Fate
|-valign=top
|| {{HMS|Invincible|R05|2}}
| R05
|[[File:HMS Invincible (R05).jpg|100px]]
|| [[Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering|Vickers Armstrong, Barrow]].<ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 17 April 1973 <ref name="Moore"/><ref name=Conwaysp501/><ref name=Hansard04Mar77>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1977/mar/04/warships#S5CV0927P0_19770304_CWA_62 Hansard HC Deb 04 March 1977 vol 927 c337W], this lists ''Invincible'' as ordered in financial year 1973–74, the explanation for this is given in the following source:<br>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1977/nov/24/warship-building#S5CV0939P0_19771124_CWA_263 Hansard HC Deb 24 November 1977 vol 939 cc869-70W] Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about contracts, 24 November 1977.<br>For the first ASW Cruiser (HMS ''Invincible'') the planned order date when tender invited was February 1973. The contract was placed in April 1973.</ref>
|| 20 July 1973 <ref name=Conwaysp501>Gardiner, Robert ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995'', pub Conway Maritime Press, 1995, {{ISBN|0-85177-605-1}} page 501.</ref>
|| 3 May 1977 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 11 July 1980 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| Broken up at [[Aliağa]], 2011
|-valign=top
|| {{HMS|Illustrious|R06|2}}
|| R06
|[[File:HMS Illustrious 1.jpg|100px]]
|| [[Swan Hunter]], [[Wallsend]]<ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 14 May 1976 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 7 October 1976 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 1 December 1978 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 20 June 1982 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| Broken up at Aliağa, 2017
|-valign=top
|| {{HMS|Ark Royal|R07|2}}<br>(ex-''Indomitable'')
|| R07
|[[File:HMS Ark Royal (R07).jpg|100px]]
|| Swan Hunter, Wallsend <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| December 1978 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 14 December 1978 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 2 June 1981 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| 1 November 1985 <ref name=Conwaysp501/>
|| Broken up at Aliağa, 2013
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Commons category|Invincible class aircraft carriers}}

==Further reading==
* {{Citation | last = Waters | first = Conrad | title = Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers | journal = Ships Monthly  | pages = 33–39 | date = December 2016  }}

{{Invincible class aircraft carrier}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom| ]]
[[Category:Invincible-class aircraft carriers| ]]
[[Category:Light aircraft carrier classes]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Combined gas and gas ships]]