The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this digital guide may include images, sounds, and names of now deceased persons.

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Colour photograph of a large naval ship docked at a wharf on a clear, sunny day. The ship flies a maritime flag at its bow and towers above a crowd of people gathered on the pier. Visitors stand, walk, and ride bicycles along the waterfront while looking up at the vessel. Cars and service vehicles are parked nearby, and the calm harbour water reflects the bright blue sky.

HMS Ark Royal

Photo Gallery

This photo gallery offers a small selection of images that reveal brief moments of life at sea. Each photograph offers a glimpse of the ship as she appeared in her time and the world she sailed through.

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Colour aerial photograph of a large aircraft carrier moving through a harbour, escorted by tugboats. The ship’s deck is lined with personnel and equipment, and a trail of smoke rises from its funnels. Along the opposite shoreline are passenger ships docked beside a busy waterfront precinct, with warehouses, cranes, and industrial buildings visible. Beyond the port, a wide expanse of suburban houses stretches into the distance under a hazy sky.
1962 - British aurcraft carrier Ark Royal departing from North Quay. The passenger liner Kuala Lumpur is alongside the Passenger Terminal
Fremantle Ports
Colour photograph of a large aircraft carrier turning in a harbour, assisted by a tug positioned alongside its bow. The ship’s massive flight deck overhangs the water, lined with personnel standing along the edge. The superstructure rises high above the deck, fitted with radar masts and communication equipment. In the background are port buildings and cranes under a cloudy sky, while the water churns around the ship as it manoeuvres.
1962 - HMS Ark Royal swinging mid-harbour on her departure from Fremantle
Fremantle Ports
Colour photograph showing a row of light‑coloured naval helicopters parked on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. The helicopters are arranged neatly with their rotors folded, and deck markings in red and yellow are visible beneath them. In the background, a harbour scene unfolds with calm blue water, a long jetty, and a shoreline of buildings and houses under a partly cloudy sky.
1962 - HMS Ark Royal at Fremantle
Fremantle Ports
Colour photograph of a large aircraft carrier moored at a busy port under an overcast sky. The ship’s angled flight deck extends toward the pier, and aircraft and equipment are visible along the deck. A gangway connects the carrier to the wharf, where groups of people in uniform and casual clothing walk along the waterfront. Cranes, warehouses, and docked vessels fill the industrial harbour in the background.
October 1988 - HMS Ark Royal at H Berth
Fremantle Ports
Colour photograph of the bow section of an aircraft carrier moored at a wharf. Several jet aircraft are parked along the forward edge of the flight deck, with crew members walking and working nearby. Below the overhang of the deck, the ship’s grey hull rises high above the waterline. Cars and a scooter are parked on the wharf in the foreground, and the sky is overcast.
October 1988 - HMS Ark Royal at H Berth
Fremantle Ports
Colour photograph of a large aircraft carrier sailing out of a harbour. The ship’s deck is lined with personnel standing along the edge, and aircraft and equipment are positioned toward the rear of the vessel. The superstructure rises high above the flight deck, fitted with radar arrays and communication masts. A tugboat follows close behind on the right, and the ship moves through calm water under a partly cloudy sky.
1962 - HMS Ark Royal departing port
Fremantle Ports
Colour aerial photograph of a large aircraft carrier moving through a harbour, escorted by tugboats. The ship’s deck is lined with personnel and equipment, and a trail of smoke rises from its funnels. Along the opposite shoreline are passenger ships docked beside a busy waterfront precinct, with warehouses, cranes, and industrial buildings visible. Beyond the port, a wide expanse of suburban houses stretches into the distance under a hazy sky.
Colour photograph of a large aircraft carrier turning in a harbour, assisted by a tug positioned alongside its bow. The ship’s massive flight deck overhangs the water, lined with personnel standing along the edge. The superstructure rises high above the deck, fitted with radar masts and communication equipment. In the background are port buildings and cranes under a cloudy sky, while the water churns around the ship as it manoeuvres.
Colour photograph showing a row of light‑coloured naval helicopters parked on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. The helicopters are arranged neatly with their rotors folded, and deck markings in red and yellow are visible beneath them. In the background, a harbour scene unfolds with calm blue water, a long jetty, and a shoreline of buildings and houses under a partly cloudy sky.
Colour photograph of a large aircraft carrier moored at a busy port under an overcast sky. The ship’s angled flight deck extends toward the pier, and aircraft and equipment are visible along the deck. A gangway connects the carrier to the wharf, where groups of people in uniform and casual clothing walk along the waterfront. Cranes, warehouses, and docked vessels fill the industrial harbour in the background.
Colour photograph of the bow section of an aircraft carrier moored at a wharf. Several jet aircraft are parked along the forward edge of the flight deck, with crew members walking and working nearby. Below the overhang of the deck, the ship’s grey hull rises high above the waterline. Cars and a scooter are parked on the wharf in the foreground, and the sky is overcast.
Colour photograph of a large aircraft carrier sailing out of a harbour. The ship’s deck is lined with personnel standing along the edge, and aircraft and equipment are positioned toward the rear of the vessel. The superstructure rises high above the flight deck, fitted with radar arrays and communication masts. A tugboat follows close behind on the right, and the ship moves through calm water under a partly cloudy sky.
Colour photograph of a large naval ship docked at a wharf on a clear, sunny day. The ship flies a maritime flag at its bow and towers above a crowd of people gathered on the pier. Visitors stand, walk, and ride bicycles along the waterfront while looking up at the vessel. Cars and service vehicles are parked nearby, and the calm harbour water reflects the bright blue sky.

October 1988 - HMS Ark Royal arriving in Fremantle
Fremantle Ports

The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this digital guide may include images, sounds, and names of now deceased persons.