Rolls Royce Builds Seat For British Navy Flagship
Rolls Royce builds incredible automobiles. Long considered the ultimate expressions of motoring luxury, they’re renowned for constructing cars that cover miles as easily as average cars cover centimeters. A large part of that effortless country-covering capability comes from their seats. Upholstered in fine leather, with perfect amounts of give and support, Rolls chairs are uncompromising in their design. And now, they’ve taken to the sea aboard the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier.
The HMS Illustrious, a smallish aircraft carrier weighing “only” 20,600 tons (20,930 metric tonnes), was in Portsmouth for refurbishment when a special chair was carried aboard. Destined to become the ship’s captain’s seat, it’s designed off of the existing Rolls Royce Phantom’s seat and covered in all-too-appropriate navy blue leather with shell piping. The interlocking “R” logo that has adorned so many beautiful Rolls Royce automobiles is embroidered on either side of the headrest, and the armrests have been modified for sea use.
Topping it all off in grand Rolls Royce style, the seat has a wooden table in the rear and a special plaque to commemorate the occasion. Finally, a raft (pun very much intended) of electrical adjustments can be made, making this chair quite possibly the coolest place in the world. Captain Bob Cooling, the captain of the Illustrious felt the same way; “On behalf of HMS Illustrious, I am delighted to take ownership of this unique chair and secure our links with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It marks an important relationship between the Royal Navy and the wider Rolls-Royce community and demonstrates the enduring strength of such a British marque.”
Of course the irony of that statement is obvious: Rolls Royce isn’t even British anymore. Some say the brand is better off for it, but the fact remains that placing that chair on the bridge of Britain’s flagship is perhaps the closest Germany has come to taking control of a British warship since WWII ended. And a mighty ship it is, too.
Launched in 1981, this latest iteration of Illustrious stretches 209.0 meters (686 feet) from stem to stern; exactly 203.3 meters (667 feet) longer than the Rolls Royce Phantom. With a beam (width) of 36.0 meters (118 feet), the Illustrious has a large deck, allowing her to carry 22 aircraft, which is exactly 22 more than the Rolls. Coincidentally, this seat isn’t the first thing to roll out of the Rolls factory and onto the Illustrious: a huge pair of Rolls Royce gas turbine engines allow the massive ship to cruise at a steady 52 kilometers per hour (32 mph or 28 knots) - although it should be mentioned that only the name is shared with these two Rolls Royce divisions, as they are now completely separate entities.
It takes a huge amount of people to operate this city on wheels, and over a thousand people live on the boat, including Illustrious’ crew themselves, and the air arm’s crews. After serving for 22 years, the Illustrious entered Rosyth Dockyard for a refit that should see her through to 2012, when she will be replaced by the upcoming Queen Elizabeth Class of British aircraft carriers. It is likely the current Rolls Royce Phantom will go in for a refit in the next few years too, but the model will most likely be replaced before 2012.