China buys fearsome Russian carrier, turns it into luxury hotel
During the 1980s, the Kiev was the flagship of the Soviet Navy.
At almost 1,000 feet long, it carried over 30 aircraft, as well
as an arsenal of heavy missiles like a cruiser. China bought the
Kiev in the late 90s, and it'll be relaunching at the end of
this month, but as a luxury hotel instead of a warship.
Generally, aircraft carriers aren't noted for their luxury
accommodations, but as with anything else, throwing enough money
at the problem will make it go away. The Kiev has undergone a
complete retrofit into a fancy floating hotel, and as of the end
of this month, it'll be completely open for business.  Despite
this ignominious end to an icon of sea power, there's still a
chance that it's all just a trick, and when the Chinese decide
to take over the world, they'll throw out all the fancy beds and
linens and send the Kiev steaming out into the Pacific.  In the
mean time, you can see some of those aforementioned fancy linens
in a gallery of