Australian Broker Offering Decommissioned Aircraft Carrier For Sale

by ANN Reporter Juan Jimenez

French Creek Boat Sales Ltd. is offering something you don't see every day in the boat sales industry -- an aircraft carrier. That's right, a full-blown carrier, the HMS Vengeance, built back in the early 1940's and last refitted in 1998 before being decommissioned in 2001.

The price?

If you have to ask, I guess I will have to tell you -- a cool $4.95 million US dollars. Just think of all the airshows in coastal locations that you could visit with 12,000 NM range at 14 kts!
 
The specs:

• Built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited England/1942-1945
• Loaned to Australia 1953 – 1955 Sold to Brazil 1956, re-fitted 1957 – 1960 in Rotterdam Holland, angled deck added, overhauled 1976 –1980
• Laid-up 1987, Refitted 1991 – 1993, Refitted 1997 – 1998
• De-Commissioned November 2001, Sold to Private concerns 2002, Sale did not complete.
• Length: 693’ 3” Overall 630’ Waterline 690’ Flight deck
• Beam: 80’ 119’ 6” Flight deck
• Draught: 23’ Fore 23’ 5” aft
• Catapult: 1 Mactaggart Scott C – 3 steam powered 8.5 degree launch
• Displacement: Full Load 19,890 Tons, Normal 17,500 tons, Standard 15,890 tons
• Engine Type: 2 shaft Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 Admiralty 3 drum boilers, H.P.: 36,000 SHP 
• Fuel: Oil
• Capacity: 3,196 Tons plus 98,000 gallons of Aviation fuel
• Endurance: 12,000 Nautical miles @ 14 Knots, 6,200 Nautical Miles @ 25 Knots
• Radars: Air search, Lockheed SPS 40B, Surface search Plessey AWS 4 Navigation Signaal ZW 06
• Complement: 1300 (1000 Navy, 300 Air)
• Hanger: 322’ long by 52’ Width by 17’ 6” height
• Generators: 4 Turbo generators and I diesel Generator producing 2500Kw AC.

FMI: www.frenchcreekboatsales.com/details.asp?File_Number=BOP12