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My favorite RN photos of all time. I watched this on CNN...
21 July 1982..HMS Hermes (R 12) triumphantly returns to Portsmouth UK after 108 consecutive days at sea and VICTORY in the Falklands War.
1982: Homecoming for HMS Hermes
The flagship of the British taskforce to the Falklands, HMS Hermes, has arrived back in Portsmouth.
Thousands of relatives and friends crowded the dockside to welcome home the 1,700 crew, Royal Marines and survivors of the destroyed HMS Sheffield.
Several babies born during the conflict will be meeting their fathers, uncles and brothers for the first time.
The aircraft carrier - named after the winged messenger of Greek gods - began its 8,000-mile mission 108 days ago on 5 April.
An all-services salute including flypasts from RAF Harriers, Army Lynx helicopters and a naval Hunter training squadron accompanied the ageing ship as it cruised into port.
Flanked by a flotilla of smaller boats, Hermes replied with a 17-gun national salute, usually reserved for foreign visits.
One side of the ship has been decorated with a scoreboard showing the 46 enemy aircraft shot down by the Sea Harrier fighters launched from its deck.
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