The once-Great British navy has put the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible up for sale on an eBay-like website. It’s a sad end for a proud 690-foot warship that sailed Her Majesty’s seas from 1980 to 2005, and took part in the Falklands, Balkans and Iraq campaigns. Its crew of more than 1,000 piloted the ship’s two-dozen aircraft up to 7,000 nautical miles from home. It steamed at speeds topping out at 28 knots, thanks to its four Rolls-Royce turbine engines (sorry — they’ve already been removed to power other ships in the fleet).
The HMS Invincible
The Brits hope to pocket about $1.5 million by selling her, largely for scrap metal. It’s funny seeing something like this on an auction website. You can check for “comparisons,” add it to your “wish list” or put it — all 10,000 tons of its “mild steel” — into your “cart.” Better yet: it’s “In stock.” But you have to hurry — it’s up for inspection by Admiral Lord Nelson-wannabes beginning today, but only through December 10.