The opening theme to Sailor. BBC 1976 1977. With music by Rod Stewart. When you were seven or eight years old in the 1970's, it was impressed upon you by every grown up you encountered, that God and Jesus, and the British Royal family were pretty important. When I heard that there was a ship named Ark Royal, I thought, o.k well that’s Ark from Noahs Ark, and Royal from the Royal Family. That’s double importance, double emphasis. Wow ! What a fantastic name for a ship. Ark Royal, how can you beat that one ?

Not only that, but it was the best kind of ship, a mighty aircraft carrier. The biggest and best warship that Britain had ever had. It has always been my favourite ship of all time. The vast majority of schoolboys in the 1970's pressed on their favourite ship, would have picked Ark Royal. In the pencil and paper games of battle ships, it was the carrier that took up five squares on the graph paper.

My dad was in the Royal Marines, and we used to get given playing cards, with ships on them, a pack of cards called “know your navy”. Ark Royal was the ace card in the pack.
In the late seventies I stood on the flight deck of the Ark Royal, at Plymouth Navy Days.
One of the significant moments in life, along with standing on the decks of the greatest sailing ship, Nelson’s Victory at Porstmouth. Amazingly, something which people can still do.

Ark Royal is one of the greatest and most loved ships of all time. Ark Royal Four that is, a proper carrier, not the mere mini carrier Ark Royal Five, of the 1980's onwards.
In 1976-77 the BBC made a documentary featuring the Ark, called “Sailor”. Among the finest programs the BBC ever made. The opening sequence is in the hall of fame, like the music for the 633 squadron, and the Ondedin Line.

It seems unreal that the biggest band in history, The Beatles, played gigs almost literally on my doorstep. It is also quite something that the best ship was built in Birkenhead.

I was a founder and chairman of the Merseyside based Pressure group, Britain needs a carrier. It was Tony Blair we have to thank for Britains next massive carriers. Though I hate the names they have chosen for them. I am not a republican, but I think too much fuss is made of the Royals, and they are terribly overpaid and over privileged. Naming not one, but two massive carriers after them is vulgar and in poor taste. It totally alienates all the people who are not particularly royalists. One carrier at least should be named for the people.

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