HMS Fearless was built at Harland and Wolff in Belfast and launched in 1963. There followed an illustrious career.
1968 she hosted talks between Ian Smith and Harold Wilson on the future of Rhodesia.
1977 she appeared in the closing scenes of the James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me'.
1983 she supported UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
However her finest hour came in the 1982 Falklands conflict, where she and her sistership, HMS Intrepid, launched the amphibious assault to retake the Islands. In September and October 2001, Fearless participated in Exercise Saif Sareea, a massive tri-service exercise held in conjunction with the Armed Forces of Oman. As a consequence of the terrorist atrocities of September 11th, she remained in the region to participate in the US-led 'war against terror'.
HMS Fearless to Retire.
Pennant No. L10
The amphibious assault ship HMS Fearless is to be retired after nearly four decades of service. She will be withdrawn from service when she returns home to Portsmouth on March 18th, following the completion of her role in Operation Veritas, the British contribution to the war against terror.
Fearless - the last steam driven ship in the Royal Navy - was scheduled to remain in service until November 2002, as her replacement, HMS Albion, will not enter service until January 2003. However, her recent lengthy deployment to the Arabian Sea, coupled with her age, meant the cost of keeping her in service for another eight months couldn't be justified. Adam Ingram, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, said: "HMS Fearless has had a long, proud and hugely successful career. She has served in very many operational theatres but, in this the 20th anniversary year of the Falklands conflict, perhaps her most memorable role was the one she played in the recovery of the Islands. We celebrate her past, salute her today and look to the future in the shape her highly capable replacements, HMS Albion and Bulwark. "Considering the cutbacks endured by the fleet during her 37 years of service, it is perhaps surprising Fearless has lasted this long. She was originally earmarked for disposal - without replacement - under the notorious 1981 Defence Review but was spared from the scrapyard by the Falklands conflict the following year. She was subsequently scheduled to retire in 1990, but the delay in ordering replacement vessels saw her remain in service for another decade.
Scrapped, the Belfast ship that starred alongside 007
[Published: Friday 5, October 2007 - 08:00 Belfast Telegraph]
By Linda McKee
One of the most secretive vessels ever built at Harland & Wolff is to be scrapped, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Former Royal Navy assault ship HMS Fearless, which served in the 1982 Falklands conflict and later in Iraq, will be sent to a yard in Belgium where "as much as possible" of it will be recycled.
The 12,000-tonne ship was the longest serving steam-powered ship to serve in the Royal Navy and also starred in a Bond movie, featuring in the closing sequences of The Spy Who Loved Me.
It has been mothballed in Portsmouth since leaving service in 2002.
Defence Minister Lord Drayson said: "The selection of Van Heyghen Recycling as the preferred bidder for the salvage of Fearless demonstrates our commitment to reprocessing military equipment in an environmentally friendly way."
Fearless and her sister ship, Intrepid, were designed to support Royal Marine commandos on amphibious operations by transporting and landing troops and equipment. Their flight decks supported helicopters and even Harrier jets during the Falklands War.
Strict security surrounded her construction at Harland & Wolff shipyard in the early 1960s.
At the time of the ship's launch in December 1963, the Telegraph dubbed her " the hush-hush ship".
The reason for the secrecy was the innovative design of Fearless's stern. Although called an assault ship, she was officially classed as a Landing Platform Dock since her rear section acted as a miniature harbour which housed four, 115-ton troop landing craft.
Former Royal Marine Colin Waite (49), who served on HMS Fearless during the Falklands War, said the decision was "crazy".
"It is very sad because she is a ship with more history than most," he said.
