Seven ships of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
have borne the name HMS ''Bulwark'', after the reference to the Navy as the 'bulwark' (defence) of the country:
* HMS ''Bulwark'' was to have been a 74-gun
third rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third r ...
. She was ordered in 1778 but was cancelled in 1783.
* was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1807. She had previously planned to be called HMS ''Scipio'', but was renamed in 1806 before being launched. She took part in the blockade of
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
in 1813 and fought in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
. She was broken up in 1826.
* HMS ''Bulwark'' was to have been an 81-gun screw propelled
second rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...
. She was laid down in 1859, but work was suspended in 1861, and she was eventually cancelled and broken up in 1873.
* HMS ''Bulwark'' was previously the planned 110-gun
first rate
In the rating system of the British Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a first rate was the designation for the largest ships of the line. Originating in the Jacobean era
The Jacobean era was the period in English and Scot ...
. She was kept in reserve and was renamed ''Bulwark'' in 1885 when she became a
training ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classr ...
. She was renamed HMS ''Impregnable'' in 1886, and then HMS ''Bulwark'' again in 1919. She was sold for breaking up in 1921.
* was a launched in 1899 and blown up by accident in 1914.
* was a
light fleet carrier launched in 1948, and commissioned as a fleet carrier in 1954. She was converted to a commando carrier in 1959, recommissioned in that role in January 1960. She was broken up in 1984.
* is an
amphibious assault ship
An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (and, as ...
launched in 2001 and currently in service.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulwark, Hms
Royal Navy ship names