HAMPSHIRE County Council bosses have ruled out backing the preservation of one of the Royal Navy’s best loved ships because of cost and lack of space to berth it.

The last of the Royal Navy’s Invincible-class carriers, HMS Illustrious, ended its 32-year career last month.

Now the 22,000-tonne ship has been decommissioned the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is weighing up the future of the venerable Hampshire based ship.

But leisure boss Cllr Keith Chapman has revealed the Royal Navy has not approached the county council for money – although if it did it could never afford the millions required.

Daily Echo: Cllr Keith Chapman, executive member for culture and recreation.

Cllr Keith Chapman

Speaking at a full council meeting he said: “The advice that has been given to me to preserve such a warship of that size it would have to be in an appropriate dry dock.

“As you can imagine these dry docks are not much available.

“Also, the cost of maintaining the ship is between £8m and £9m.

“This is a national project and should be funded by national funds rather than local authority funds.”

The county council had already played its part in supporting our maritime heritage, Cllr Chapman said, in a recent joint project to restore and transfer the First World War warship HMS M33 to the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

He was responding to a question by Fareham county councillor Chris Wood about the county’s role in securing the future for the warship, known affectionately as Lusty.

Cllr Wood suggested the ship could find a home at the Explosion! naval museum at Gosport. This, he said, could be made possible by a joint scheme with business and local authorities.

He said: “This would also create significant and desperately needed investment, jobs and tourism opportunities in Gosport.

“Illustrious must be preserved for future generations in the same way our nation rightly preserved HMS Victory and HMS Warrior, as she deserves to rest in the same harbour she has graced for generations.”