HMS Intrepid to be scrapped (again)

The assault ship HMS Intrepid, one of the Royal Navy veterans of the Falklands war is being consigned to the scrapyard for the second time:

One of the Falklands war's doughtiest fighters, HMS Intrepid, is to be dismantled, 25 years after she was first saved from the scrapheap and four months from the 25th anniversary of the islands' liberation.

HMS Intrepid, which was launched in 1964, should have been taken out of service in 1982, but was reprieved in the nick of time to join the Royal Navy Task Force ordered to liberate the islands from Argentine invaders. The assault ship played a significant role in the conflict and served another 17 years in Her Majesty's Fleet before being decommissioned in 1999.

The Ministry of Defence announced yesterday that HMS Intrepid would be "recycled", the modern, environmentally friendly term for scrapping a ship. Leavesley International, a British company, has been chosen to cut up the ship, and those components that can be recycled, such as the anchor chain and the steel hull, will be reused. Some items will be sold as souvenirs.

To be honest, I'm astonished that the ship stayed in service as long as she did: I'd rather assumed that she'd been scrapped years ago. More information at the MOD website.