HMS Ark Royal 1970-1973 6th Commissioning Book

Privately Printed in 1973 and profusely illustrated with photographs & drawings. The maroon front and back cloth cover shows some age related rippling but inside the pages are very clean and the bindings firm. The book was published for the officers and ratings of the aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL and marks the ship's sixth commission between 1970 and 1973. Over this period she made four Mediterranean deployments, three voyages to the West Indies, and three cruises in the Norwegian Sea. The Cold War was still in being and the infamous KOTLIN incident took place. The Soviet destroyer was shadowing ARK ROYAL but came too close and collided with the carrier. The combined efforts of Royal Naval ships and the KOTLIN rescued five of the seven Russian sailors who fell overboard on impact. The commission also saw ARK ROYAL called upon to display her power at Belize, and she made visits to Florida and New York in addition to taking part in NATO exercises. A fine reminder of a fine ship and a perfect addition to the library of a crew member or their family.