So long, fair Sea Control Ship

The rumors from this summer have come true, the quasi-sexy SPS Príncipe de Asturias (R-11) will be decommissioned.

El portaaviones 'Príncipe de Asturias' de la Armada será desguazado el próximo año en los astilleros de Ferrol, dado que las restricciones presupuestarias han impedido alargar su vida útil, tras 24 años de servicio en las Fuerzas Armadas, han informado fuentes militares.

For you Anglos out there - in summary the broke Spanish government cannot afford to upgrade and next maintenance cycle of €100 million, and at 24-yrs service is going bye-bye. 

Economic downfall has its consequences, but they will have the less sexy but functional LHD, SPS Juan Carlos I (L61) for use as a flagship instead.

Though not what one would consider a successful design, I always liked the PdA and her sister ship HTMS Chakri Naruebet - and for that matter the entire Sea Control Ship concept. An underexplored capability, but such that it is. Their soul-mates, "L type" ships such as JCI and our own Amphib "Small Deck Carriers" are still out there though, and are still trying to prove MIDN Salamander right.

I'm sorry - but PdA (like the many Soviet ships like the UDALOY) just had sexy lines compared to some of the ugly boxes like JC1, the French Mistral (L9013), Royal Navy's topsy HMS OCEAN (L12), and the slightly better but warty Italian CVH Cavour (550).  There is something to be said for a warship having a certain panache (one thing LCS-2 has going for it, BTW).

Maybe the Indians will want to buy PdA. Perhaps Brazil?

Sigh. Maybe I'm just grumpy that PdA was commissioned in 1988 around the same time as ... wait .... harumph.

Hat tip FrontPorch.