Members of Torbay Council's harbour committee have unanimously voted on a proposed scheme to sink the decommissioned HMS Ark Royal six miles off the English coast. The plan follows the sinking of HMS Scylla in 2004 off Whitsand Bay near Plymouth, which generated a hefty boost to the local economy.

The idea was conceived at a local sailing club and thanks to local charity Wreck the World, a bid of £3.5m has been put forward. "It's been a steep learning curve and there are still lots of obstacles but we feel we are getting somewhere." said Charity founder, Michael Byfield.

Decommissioned due to government defense cuts, aircraft carrier would sit 32ft below the surface, making it accessible to divers of all experience levels. It is hoped that the Ark will sit upright so that less confident divers will be able to explore large areas of the ship.

Measures will also be taken to ensure the wreck would not pose a threat to shipping courses, along with environmental surveys to make certain the vessel would enhance rather than harm marine life.
“It’s good to think that if we can do this, the Ark Royal would still be a guardian of our waters,” said Byfield. “She is such an iconic vessel, it would be wrong to see her just cut up for scrap or suffer some other undignified fate.”

If plans go ahead, the Ark Royal will attract divers from across the globe, contributing an estimated £10 million a year to the local economy. Other plans for the ship have included turning it into a museum a helipad, or simply just selling it for scrap.

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