Final visit to Clyde for Ark Royal

The Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sailed into Scotland for the final time today as decommissioning work began on the vessel.

The carrier sailed down the Firth of Clyde before docking at Glen Mallan jetty on Loch Long to begin the process of unloading its ammunition.

It is being decommissioned after 25 years of service as part of government cuts in defence spending.

Removing the ship's bombs and rockets will take five days and Ark Royal will then embark on a farewell tour before sailing into Portsmouth for the last time on 3 December.

The Ark Royal's Commanding Officer, Captain Jerry Kyd, said: "There's a real sense of pride and dignity attached to this ship as it has served the country and the navy so well for the last 25 years."

Engineering technician Scott Burrows, 18, from Kilmarnock, said: "I'm pretty proud to be able to say I'll be one of the last on the Ark Royal. Anyone you speak to knows the Ark Royal. If you go abroad, everyone knows its name."