HMS Ark Royal arrives in the Turkish port of Aliaga at the ship scrapping firm Leyal’s yard. The former flagship of the Royal Navy will now be turned into slabs of steel and sold by the Kilo. The 22,000 ton ship, which carried 22 aircraft and had a complement of 1,051, was retired five years ahead of schedule in 2011, a high-profile casualty of the government’s controversial defence cuts. Tears were shed when, after more than a quarter of a century of service, Britain’s most famous warship left Portsmouth last month and began her final solemn journey.The mighty aircraft carrier was sold to ship recycling firm Leyal for £2.9m, where it now faces the ultimate indignity of being taken apart like a scrapped second hand car.
THESE kaleidoscopic-like photographs capture England’s churches and cathedrals in all their glory .
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .
A pair of snarling foxes go paw-to-paw and brawl after unexpectedly crossing paths .
AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .
While often referred to as the kings of the jungle, gorillas - for all their might - are notorious hydrophobes .
Leaping out of the ocean, a group of gentoo penguins fly through the air before landing safely on an iceberg .
A rare manuscript of one of Charlotte Bronte’s earliest poems went under the hammer today and fetched nearly £100,000 – double what it was expected to get .
These are the men with one of the most unpleasant jobs in the world .
A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
WITH HIS PAW covering his mouth, this cheeky cub looks amused by something .
AN ADORABLE one-eyed kitten has been dubbed the 'pirate cat' because of his pirate-like facial expressions .