She won a proud place in British military history – and the hearts of the nation – as the flagship of the assault force that recaptured the Falkland Islands from Argentina in 1982.

But now the once-mighty aircraft carrier HMS Hermes is destined for a new life... as a luxury floating hotel.

The iconic warship, from which the BBC journalist Brian Hanrahan famously ‘counted out’ the Harrier Jump Jets and then ‘counted them all back’ during the Falklands conflict, will become a 600-room, five-star hotel moored in India’s Bay of Bengal.

Iconic: HMS Hermes in the 1980s, right, and the BBC's Brian Hanrahan on the carrier at the time of the Falklands conflict

The vast, 13-storey structure will boast luxury suites; at least five restaurants; a glittering night club; swimming pools; and extensive conference rooms.

The hotel may be anchored several miles off the coast to allow it to operate a casino, as gambling houses are banned on mainland India and in local waters.

VIP guests will be ferried from the shore by helicopter to the hotel’s own helipad, though others will have to make the journey by speedboat.

The history of the 24,000-ton Centaur-class ship, which was sold by Britain to India in 1986, will be highlighted in a special museum on board.

HMS Hermes was the flagship of the assault force that recaptured the Falkland Islands from Argentina in 1982

Three days after Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands, HMS Hermes headed to the South Atlantic, carrying 12 Sea Harrier jets and 18 Sea King helicopters

In 1975, Prince Charles, who was then a newly qualified helicopter pilot, joined 845 Naval Air Squadron on flying duties from HMS Hermes in Caribbean and Eastern Canadian waters.

But it was in April 1982 that it became the flagship of the British attack against Argentine forces in the South Atlantic – an unlikely twist of fate for the then 23-year-old warship that had been earmarked for decommissioning only a year earlier.

Three days after Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands, HMS Hermes headed to the South Atlantic, carrying 12 Sea Harrier jets and 18 Sea King helicopters.

Mr Hanrahan, who died in 2010, was then a little-known BBC foreign correspondent. He transmitted one of the most memorable reports of the conflict from the carrier’s deck when the Harriers were dispatched for the first attack on Port Stanley Airfield.

To avoid giving away military secrets to the enemy, he reported: ‘I’m not allowed to say how many planes joined the raid, but I counted them all out and I counted them all back.’

Margaret Thatcher on the deck of HMS Hermes after the warship came back from the Falklands war

The 74-day conflict ended in June 1982 and a month later HMS Hermes returned to Portsmouth to a rapturous welcome from thousands of relatives of the 1,700-strong crew and members of the public.

After 30 years of service with the Indian navy, the government decided to decommission the renamed INS Viraat – which means ‘giant’ in Sanskrit – as maintaining the ageing ship was becoming too costly.

The state of Andhra Pradesh, on India’s east coast, has bought the vessel for a nominal one rupee – less than a penny – but is spending another £85 million to transform it into one of the finest hotels and tourist attractions in India.