HMS Ark Royal was an Audacious class aircraft carrier launched on 3 May 1950 by Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother. She was commissioned on 25 February 1955.

She was the sister ship to HMS Eagle and was originally to be called Irresistible, but was renamed Ark Royal prior to launch. The immediately previous Ark Royal was torpedoed off Gibraltar on 14 November 1941.

Initially on entry into service, she had a complement of up to 50 aircraft comprising Sea Hawks, Sea Venoms, Gannets, Skyraiders and various helicopters. As later aircraft types grew in size and complexity, her air group fell to below 40 when she left service in 1978.  She was part of the Beira Patrol enforcing the naval blockade of Rhodesia in 1965. 

On 9 November 1970 while in the Mediterranean participating in a NATO exercise she collided with a Soviet Kotlin class destroyer which was shadowing Ark Royal. She was damaged only slightly, while the Soviet destroyer sustained more damage and two missing crew. Ark Royal’s commanding officer, Captain Ray Lygo, was cleared of blame at the subsequent court-martial.

In the late 1970s, the ship became famous during the  major BBC documentary series, "Sailor", showing life on board the ship during a February to July 1976 Western Atlantic deployment. Her commanding officer at this time was Captain Wilfred Graham, a later Flag Officer Portsmouth. The theme tune for the programme by Rod Stewart was a song that came to be associated with the ship and her successor.

She entered Devonport for the last time on 4 December 1978 and decommissioned on 14 February 1979 when the White Ensign was lowered for the last time. On 29 March 1980,the MOD announced that she would she sold for scrap ending plans to preserve her. She left Devonport on 22 September 1980, under tow, to be scrapped at Cairnryan near Stranraer

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