Tristan da Cunha's commemorative program has long leaned on British naval history for subject matter, partly because the island's own resupply and evacuation logistics have depended entirely on Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels. HMS Ark Royal — the fifth to carry the name — was decommissioned in 2011, just three years after this crown was struck, a retirement that proved deeply controversial given that it left the Royal Navy without fixed-wing carrier capability for nearly a decade.
Tristan da Cunha's commemorative program has long leaned on British naval history for subject matter, partly because the island's own resupply and evacuation logistics have depended entirely on Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels. HMS Ark Royal — the fifth to carry the name — was decommissioned in 2011, just three years after this crown was struck, a retirement that proved deeply controversial given that it left the Royal Navy without fixed-wing carrier capability for nearly a decade.