HMS Ark Royal (R09) was an Audacious-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy and, when she was decommissioned in 1978, was the Royal Navy's last remaining conventional catapult and arrested-landing aircraft carrier. She was the Royal Navy's first aircraft carrier to be equipped with an angled flight deck.

An aerial bow view of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and a starboard quarter view of the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R 09) tied up at piers at Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia (USA) from 14 August 1978 until 21 August 1978.

Ark Royal was the sister ship to HMS Eagle, which was initially named HMS Audacious, hence the name of the class. FourAudacious-class ships were laid down, but two (HMS Africa and the original HMS Eagle) were cancelled at the end of the war, and construction of the other two suspended for several years. Both surviving ships were extensively upgraded throughout their lifetimes.

The ship was originally designated Irresistible, but was renamedArk Royal prior to launch. The immediately previous Ark Royal, also an aircraft carrier, was torpedoed off Gibraltar on 14 November 1941 with the loss of one member of the ship's company.

HMS Ark Royal with Phantom FG.1 and Buccaneer S.2 aircraft on deck, 1976

More here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_(R09)