Ebay, the Internet auction website, has sold some pretty strange things before but this has to be one of the most bizarre.

An aircraft carrier built on Tyneside 62 years ago is up for grabs - in good condition, only three previous careful owners, full service history. Offers in the region of £2.75m.

A Brazilian millionaire is hoping to offload the former HMS Vengeance - one of the last British Second World War carriers afloat - to the highest bidder.

The ship was launched on the Tyne in December 1944 and entered service just in time to take the Japanese surrender of Hong Kong.

After a long career with the Royal Navy, and a period on loan to Australia, it was sold to the Brazilian government and renamed Minas Gerais.

But the Minas was pensioned off a couple of years ago when it was replaced by the former French ship Foch. Since then it has faced an uncertain fate.

Old shipmates have been trying to buy the former Vengeance and turn her into a floating museum but, so far, fundraising has been slow.

Although the ship - which was built at Swan Hunter - has been stripped of its weapons and aircraft, it still has all its navigation and satellite guidance systems in working order.

Swan's commercial director, Norman Brownell, said: "It is great to see that this ship has really stood the test of time and is still in fine shape."

The carrier appeared on Ebay after the collapse of a proposed sale to Chinese shipbreakers who planned to reduce the proud vessel to a pile of scrap metal.

Now there are strong hopes that the ship could have a brighter future.

Two rival entrepreneurs from Scotland and Holland are expected to go head-to-head with bids which would see it become a floating museum or tourist attraction.

Another possibility is that it could be turned into a floating home for a wealthy armchair admiral.