With sailors and marines in full regalia on deck, HMS Illustrious came ‘home’ to Malta yesterday for a short visit.

The successor of the same-named aircraft carrier which escorted supply convoys to Malta in World War II, the Illustrious arrived for a five-day visit after taking part in Mediterranean training exercises.

She sailed into Grand Harbour with a Merlin helicopter whirring overhead and her crew lining the decks in Procedure Alpha, to honour the historic connections between the ship and the island.

The Illustrious, commanded by Captain Martin Connell, forms part of the British Response Force Task Group (RFTG), headed by Commodore Paddy McAlpine, which is held on high alert to respond to unexpected global events.

She is joined in Malta by RFTG vessels HMS Bulwark, RFA Mounts Bay and MV Hartland Point.

Describing the arrival of Illustrious in Grand Harbour as “special”, Commodore McAlpine said “it is hugely important to continue to maintain historic links with Malta and to remember the sacrifices made both on shore and at sea during World War II”.

The helicopter carrier is berthed at Valletta Waterfront and will be open to the public tomorrow and Thursday between 1pm and 4pm.

“It is an opportunity for the Maltese to look around what you could say is ‘their’ warship,” Commodore McAlpine said.

HMS Illustrious is twinned with the Three Cities – Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua – because of the role her predecessor played in World War II.

Having been hit by six bombs east of Sicily on January 10, 1941, Illustrious was bombed again on January 16 and 19 while under­going repairs in Grand Harbour.

Although the carrier survived, the bombing devastated the Three Cities. Captain Connell said it was a proud moment for him to skipper a Royal Navy ship bearing the name HMS Illustrious as it sailed into Grand Harbour.

“We are very much aware of not just the history of this ship but also the previous Illustrious and what the people of Malta did to help save her in 1941,” Captain Connell said.

A ceremony will be held on the ship today involving the mayors of the Three Cities and three symbolic hunting horns representing the ship’s crest.

Yesterday the ship also hosted a reception in honour of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, in Malta to attend the 11th International Duke of Edinburgh Award Forum.

While in Malta, sailors and marines will be helping with a variety of worthy causes, including a clean-up event with Nature Trust.

The Illustrious will head back to the UK on Friday, having been at sea since October 1.

During that time she took part in joint exercises around Corsica with the French Navy and with the Albanian armed forces in the Adriatic.

The ship no longer carries fixed-wing aircraft, after its Harrier jump jets were retired as part of the 2010 Strat-egic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

Three Merlin helicopters, three Apache helicopters and four Sea King helicopters were on board yesterday.

The current HMS Illustrious is the fifth ship to bear that name in the history of the British Royal Navy.

Having being commissioned in 1982, she is due to be decommissioned in 2014.

New Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, which are being built, are due to begin entering service in 2016.

Commodore McAlpine said he expected the Royal Navy to “work hard” for the Illustrious to visit Malta again before she was decommissioned.

The Commodore insisted the Royal Navy would still be able to deliver operational success when the SDSR is fully implemented.

“You might have a smaller navy, but you will have a more capable navy because the technology invested in the new ships is world leading,” he said.

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