HMS Hermes ( R12 ) HMS " Hermes " was a conventional British aircraft carrier and the last of the " Centaur " - class . " Hermes " was in service with the Royal Navy from 1959 until 1984 , and she served as the flagship of the British forces during the 1982 Falklands War . After being sold to India in 1986 , the vessel was recommissioned and remains in service with the Indian Navy as the INS " Viraat " . Construction and modifications . She was laid down by Vickers - Armstrong at Barrow - in - Furness during WW II as HMS " Elephant " . Construction was suspended in 1945 but work was resumed in 1952 to clear the slipway and the hull was launched on 16 February 1953 . The vessel remained unfinished until 1957 , when she entered service on 18 November 1959 as HMS " Hermes " after extensive modifications which included installation of a massive Type 984 ' searchlight ' 3D radar , a fully angled deck with a deck - edge elevator , and steam catapults . With these changes she more resembled the reconstructed HMS Victorious than the other three ships in the class . " Hermes " initially operated Supermarine Scimitar , de Havilland Sea Vixen , and Fairey Gannet fixed - wing aircraft , together with Westland Whirlwind helicopters . Cost . " Hermes " cost £18 million , with another £1 million for electronic equipment and £10 million for aircraft in 1959 . Operations . Proposed operation of F - 4 Phantom . Civil Lord of the Admiralty John Hay said in Parliament on 2 March 1964 that " Phantoms will be operated from " Hermes " , " Eagle " and the new carrier when it is built . . . . Our present information and advice is that the aircraft should be able to operate from " Hermes " after she has undergone her refit . " This seemed optimistic , as most sources believed " Victorious " was the smallest carrier that the modified RN F - 4K versions of the Phantom could have operated from . While the Phantoms built for the RN were modified in ways similar to F - 8 Crusaders for the French Navy - improving deceleration on landing , the modifications were not entirely successful . " Hermes " flight deck was too short and the standard USN F - 4J Phantoms were more tractable , economical and higher performing . Phantoms trials were held on " Hermes " in 1969 - 70 . In the views of Minister of Defence , Denis Healey , the carrier could operate the most modern aircraft , but in too small numbers to be effective . The MOD considered the A - 4M Skyhawk around 1969 , but the Skyhawk was already considered near - obsolete . Nevertheless the light A - 4M Skyhawks would have allowed the Hermes to carry a viable late 1970s airgroup of 20 Skyhawks , 6 Sea King and 4 Gannet AEW . Proposed transfer to Australia . A 1966 review indicated that " Hermes " was surplus to operational requirements and she was offered to the Royal Australian Navy as a replacement for HMAS " Melbourne " . In 1968 , " Hermes " took part in a combined exercise with the RAN , during which the carrier was visited by senior RAN officers and Australian government officials , while RAN A - 4G Skyhawk s and Grumman S - 2 Tracker s practised landings on the larger carrier . The offer was turned down due to operating and manpower costs . Proposed international fleet . " Hermes " served as one of four Royal Navy strike carriers mainly in the Indian Ocean area until 1970 . She could have seen action against the Egyptians when Egypt closed off the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping in May 1967 . when the UK and US contemplated forming an international fleet to open the straits with force if necessary , but the idea never materialised . The final CATOBAR air wing in 1968 - 1970 consisted of : Commando / ASW / Harrier Carrier . When the decision was made in the mid - 1960s to phase out fixed wing carrier operations " Hermes " was slated to become a " Commando Carrier " for Royal Marine operations ( similar in concept to a US Navy LHA ) , and in 1972 underwent a refit in which her arresting cables , steam catapults , and 3 - D radar were removed . Landing craft and berthing for 800 troops were added and her airwing became approximately 20 Sea King helicopters . By 1976 , with the Soviet submarine threat becoming apparent and through NATO pressure , a further mild conversion was performed for " Hermes " to become an Anti - submarine warfare carrier to patrol the North Atlantic . " Hermes " underwent one more conversion and new capabilities were added when she was refitted at Portsmouth from 1980 to June 1981 , during which a 12 - degree ski - jump and facilities for operating Sea Harriers were incorporated . After this refit the air wing comprised : Falklands War . " Hermes " was due to be decommissioned in 1982 after a defence review by the British government , but when the Falklands War broke out , she was made the flagship of the British forces , setting sail for the South Atlantic just three days after the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands . She sailed for the Falklands with an airgroup of 12 Sea Harrier FRS1 of the Royal Navy ' s Fleet Air Arm , and 18 Sea King s . A few weeks after sailing , more aircraft were flown or transported via other ships to replace some losses and augment the task force . " Hermes " airgroup grew to 16 Sea Harriers , 10 Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3 s of the Royal Air Force , and 10 Sea Kings ( after some of the helicopters were dispersed to other ships ) as well as a troop of Special Air Service ( SAS ) and Royal Marines . As she was the RN ' s largest carrier , she was considered too valuable to risk close into the Falklands , due to the possibility of Argentinian airforce attacks . Her Harriers therefore operated at the limit of their endurance radius , but were very successful in keeping the enemy aircraft at bay . Air group at the height of the Falklands Conflict : After the Falklands War . After her return home from the Falklands conflict " Hermes " entered into a much needed 4 - month refit until November 1982 . She then took part in NATO exercises in the North Atlantic , and the Mediterranean Sea as a commando carrier . In the autumn of 1983 she took part in her last exercise , " Ocean Safari " , where she reverted to a strike carrier role , embarking 12 Sea Harriers , 10 RAF Harrier GR . 3s and 10 Sea Kings . After this exercise she returned to the UK for a minor refit and into maintained reserve in February 1984 . In 1983 , when the proposed sale of HMS " Invincible " to the Royal Australian Navy was cancelled following the Falklands War , an offer was made to sell " Hermes " and a squadron of Sea Harriers to Australia . However the new Hawke Government decided against purchasing a replacement for HMAS " Melbourne " . " Hermes " served with the Royal Navy until 12 April 1984 . She was paid off in 1985 . " Viraat " . In April 1986 " Hermes " was refitted and sold to India and recommissioned as the INS " Viraat " in 1989 . Complement . Her typical aircraft complement in the late 1960s consisted of 12 Sea Vixen FAW2s , 7 Buccaneer S2s , 4 Gannet AEW3s , 1 Gannet COD4 , 5 Wessex HAS3s and 1 Wessex HAS1 . She was recommissioned as a commando carrier in 1973 , as an ASW carrier in 1976 ( carrying around 20 or so Sea King and Wessex helicopters ) , and then as a V / STOL carrier in 1981 . " Hermes " initial complement of aircraft as a V / STOL carrier was 5 Harriers and 12 Sea King helicopters , though she had the capacity for up to a total of 37 aircraft .