HMS Invincible Retiring

(Intel source: NOSI) Just read a story about the upcoming retirement of the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible. I was on her for a few hours back in 2000, when I was in the Arabian Gulf on the USS John C. Stennis. I heloed over with the Battle Group Commander and met with their submarine planning guys (including the American submariner assigned to their Battle Group staff -- don't think that was an easy job, the guy was out to sea almost continuously, since the UK only had one BG staff for their three Battle Groups; the staff rotated to each deployed carrier in turn.) It was quite nice, although my buddies were a little pissed that me, a non-drinker, got to go to the Brit warship -- seeing that alcohol was served on board. The young woman who worked in the ship's store there asked me for my dolphins, but I had to politely decline, explaining to my Brit hosts that there's only one thing that will cause an American submariner to give his dolphins to a lady, and since I was married, and she was enlisted, it wasn't going to happen. They explained that the British ships actually had civilians riding and doing these tasks -- but I was still married, so she didn't get my dolphins...

Going deep...