Principe de Asturias (R-11)

Principe de Asturias

Ship data flag  Spain Ship type Aircraft carrier home port rota Shipyard Navantia Keel laying October 8, 1979 Launch May 22, 1982 Commissioning May 30, 1988 Decommissioning February 6, 2013 Whereabouts 2017 demolition in Aliağa

Ship dimensions and crew length 195.7 m ( Lüa ) width 24.3 m Draft Max. 9.5 m displacement 16,700 tn.l.   crew 764 seafarers and flight crew

Machine system machine COGAG 2 × Bazan-GE LM2500 + gas turbine Machine performance 47,044 hp (34,601 kW) Top speed 27 kn (50 km / h)

Armament 4 × gun 2.0 cm up to 29 AV-8 Harriers and helicopters

The Principe de Asturias (R-11) ( " Prince of Asturias was") a STOVL - aircraft carriers and was for years the flagship of the Spanish navy .

history

The Principe de Asturias was commissioned by the Spanish Navy for anti -submarine defense in the mid-1970s and built at the Bazán shipyard . The design was based on the recently tested "Sea Control Ships" of the US Navy . In addition, the concept of taking off the hill was adopted as a jump start for combat aircraft from the British aircraft carrier Hermes . Construction work on the shipyard began in June 1979, and the ship was launched on May 22, 1982 in the presence of King Juan Carlos .

After several modifications of the control systems, the ship was officially handed over to the Spanish Navy in 1988. A year later, the first regular operation took place in the form of a maneuver with the Italian Navy . Since then, the ship has been in service worldwide, including on two relief missions with the British Invincible in the Caribbean.

After the concept had proven itself, the "Bazan" shipyard received the order in 1992 to build an almost identical aircraft carrier for the Thai Navy, the Chakri Naruebet .

Due to the budget crisis in Spain (see euro crisis in Spain ), the carrier was taken out of service earlier than originally planned in 2012 and decommissioned on February 7, 2013 in the presence of its namesake, heir to the throne Felipe . Felipe was also a pilot on the last aircraft landing on the ship.

It was in Ferrol from the beginning of 2013 . The ship was sold for 2.7 million euros to be scrapped in Aliağa in 2017 and reached the scrapping yard towed by Alice One on August 29, 2017.

Planes and helicopters

A special feature of the Principe de Asturias was the hangar , which took up almost the entire length and width of the ship and was therefore unusually large for a STOVL aircraft carrier. Usually twelve Harrier fighter jets and twelve helicopters were stationed on the ship; Thanks to the large hangar, a total of 29 aircraft could be deployed on board the aircraft carrier.

See also

• List of aircraft carriers

Web links

Commons : Príncipe de Asturias  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Principe de Asturias at naval-technology.com (engl.)

Footnotes

1. ↑ Sea Control Ship at globalsecurity.org, as of April 3, 2009
2. ↑ Le porte-aéronefs Principe de Asturias fait ses adieux à la marine espagnole
3. ↑ http://www.passarodeferro.com/2013/12/angola-compra-porta-avioes-principe-das.html The article reports on a possible interest Angola in the aircraft carrier.
4. ^ La Armada formaliza con Surus la venta del Príncipe de Asturias por 2.7 millones. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017 . 
5. ↑ IMO 9598919