Ocean-class landing platform helicopter
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

HMS ''Ocean'' was a Landing Platform Helicopter, formerly the UK's helicopter carrier and the fleet flagship of the Royal Navy. She was designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force. She was constructed in the mid-1990s by Kvaerner Govan on the
River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
and fitted out by VSEL at Barrow-in-Furness prior to trials and subsequent acceptance in service. ''Ocean'' was commissioned in September 1998 at her home port
HMNB Devonport His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roy ...
,
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
. In December 2017, the Brazilian Navy confirmed the purchase of the ship for £84.6 million. Following her decommissioning from Royal Navy service on 27 March 2018, she arrived in Rio de Janeiro on 25 August 2018, with the intention of being commissioned as '' Atlântico'' and fully operational by 2020.


Background

An invitation to tender for a new helicopter carrier was issued in February 1992. In February 1993 '' The Times'' reported that the carrier faced cancellation due to budgetary constraints. However, at approximately the same time, British forces were engaged in operations in the Balkans, which saw the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's aviation training ship RFA ''Argus'' pressed into service as an amphibious transport ship. ''Argus''s accommodation and facilities proved inadequate for the needs of a large Embarked Military Force (EMF), which emphasised the need for a purpose-built platform. On 29 March 1993, the defence procurement minister announced that development of the new Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) was proceeding. Two shipbuilders tendered for the contract – Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL) and Swan Hunter. On 11 May 1993, the government announced that VSEL had won the contract. The build was to commercial standards, reducing costs significantly and leading to a construction spend of £154 million (£ in ),, comparable to that of a Type 23 frigate. VSEL, a warship manufacturer, sub-contracted the build phase to the commercial Kværner yard in Govan, Glasgow. That VSEL's bid was £71 million lower than Swan Hunter's was the source of political controversy and led to a National Audit Office investigation to determine whether the competition was fair. The report, published on 29 July 1993, stated that, although VSEL did subsidise its bid, the
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
(MOD) was right to award the contract to VSEL because the subsidy was much smaller than the difference between the two bids; VSEL's bid was £139.5 million compared to Swan Hunter's £210.6 million. ''The Times'' also suggested that the subsidy was as little as £10 million. In anticipation of the report, the '' Financial Times'' described the different philosophies adopted by the two bidders; while Swan Hunter viewed the ship as entirely military, "VSEL thought the design was basically a merchant ship with military hardware bolted on." VSEL's decision to sub-contract the build phase took advantage of lower overheads at a civilian yard as well as efficiency drives by its parent, Kværner. Launched on 11 October 1995, she was subsequently named at Barrow by
Her Majesty the Queen The precise style of British sovereigns has varied over the years. style is officially proclaimed in two languages:UK ParliamentRoyal Titles Act 1953(1 & 2 Eliz. 2 c. 9) Proclamation of 28 May 1953 made in accordance with the Royal Titles Act 195 ...
on 20 February 1998, prior to delivery to Devonport. In her sea trial, she reached a top speed of ; however, her usual top speed is .


Role

''Ocean'' was designed to provide the amphibious assault capabilities last offered by and . She can deploy an Embarked Military Force (EMF) of a
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
Commando Group from
3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...
supported by aircraft and landing craft. The ship's company included 9 Assault Squadron (9 ASRM) from
1 Assault Group Royal Marines 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines, formerly 1 Assault Group Royal Marines (2001-2019), provides the Royal Marines expertise and training in small boat operations, both amphibious and riverine. In addition, it trains and parents the Assau ...
whose primary role is as an Amphibious Assault Squadron. Secondary tasks include boarding parties, beach reconnaissance and providing amphibious knowledge to the ships Command. Besides these roles they have responsibilities within the ship which include firefighting, watchkeeping and security. 9 ASRM is divided into a HQ unit, Landing Craft Troop, Signals detachment, Vehicle Deck Party and Assault Supply Team. HMS ''Ocean'' was also capable of limited anti-submarine warfare activities, supporting afloat training and acting as a base facility for other embarked forces including counter-terrorism units. The ship was capable of carrying four to six Westland Apache AH1 helicopters operated by the Army Air Corps, as well as helicopters of the Royal Air Force, including the larger twin-rotor
Boeing Chinook The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, Ch ...
transports. Prior to their retirement, ''Ocean'' could transport up to fifteen fixed-wing Harrier V/STOL aircraft of Joint Force Harrier in the ferry role, but was unable to operate as a fixed-wing
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
because she lacked the ski jump that is needed to launch a fully loaded Harrier. For the
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, she carried four Army Air Corps and four Fleet Air Arm
Westland Super Lynx The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to t ...
helicopters, to deploy special forces and conduct other missions in a security role. Four Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVPs) were permanently embarked and manned by 9 Assault Squadron
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
.


Operational history


1998–2000

Weeks after being commissioned, ''Ocean'' was undertaking the warm water element of her first-of-class trials, when she was deployed on short notice to the coasts of
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
and Nicaragua to provide
humanitarian assistance Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...
in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. In early 1999, ''Ocean'' was scheduled to take part in an exercise in the Atlantic, but was diverted to the Mediterranean in readiness for possible deployment to Kosovo. During 2000, ''Ocean'' supported Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone, joining in aiding the suppression of rebel activity with her own embarked force, and providing support facilities for the Spearhead battalion ashore.


2001–2010

On 17 February 2002, whilst under command of Captain Adrian Johns, a unit of Royal Marines from ''Ocean'' accidentally landed on the San Felipe beach in the Spanish town of La Linea instead of
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
, causing a minor diplomatic incident as various media outlets labelled the mistake as an "invasion". ''Ocean'' was part of a large Royal Navy task force deployed for
Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...
, the UK contribution to the
2003 Iraq War The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
, for which she was awarded a new battle honour "Al Faw 2003". In the helicopter assault role she was accompanied by . She was awarded the
Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...
of
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
on 26 July 2004. In the summer of 2006, under the command of Captain
Christopher Clayton Rear Admiral Christopher Hugh Trevor Clayton (born 21 May 1951), is a former Royal Navy officer who served as a Lynx helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. He went on to become a senior naval officer, commanding ships during the Hong Kong h ...
, the ship was deployed as part of the task force involved in the Aurora exercises on the eastern seaboard of the United States. Clayton was later succeeded by Captain Tony Johnstone-Burt. In 2007, ''Ocean'' began her first long refit period. This was carried out by Devonport Management Limited at their
Devonport Royal Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Ro ...
facility and lasted around 12 months. Following this major period of maintenance and upgrading work, ''Ocean'' sailed from Plymouth on Wednesday 24 September 2008 to start sea trials. As part of that upgrade, a PyTEC pyrolysising waste recycling unit was fitted. On 18 February 2009, ''Ocean'' sailed from Devonport as part of the ''Taurus 09'' deployment. She was joined on this deployment by the landing platform dock , as the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the group, which included Type 23 Frigates and and four ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. This exercise was filmed for the second series of the Channel 5 documentary '' Warship''. In June 2009, ''Ocean'' took part in exercise Bersama Shield with HMS ''Somerset'' and off the
Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...
. During the air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, Prime Minister Gordon Brown assigned ''Ocean'' and other units to rescue stranded travellers and army personnel across the English Channel in
Operation Cunningham Operation Cunningham was a naval operation in April 2010 by units of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom to ship British military personnel and air passengers stranded in continental Europe by the air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajö ...
. In 2010, the ship was sent on a multi-purpose deployment. This started with exercise Auriga on the eastern coast of the US. She then moved to Brazil to conduct an exercise with the Brazilian marines; whilst there a defence co-operation agreement was signed on board. She then crossed the Atlantic to Nigeria to participate in the "Nigeria at 50" presidential fleet review and provide training to the Nigerian navy as part of the African partnership programme. She returned to Devonport in November.


2011–2018

In April 2011, while under command of Captain
Keith Blount Vice Admiral Sir Keith Edward Blount, (born 22 June 1966) is a senior Royal Navy officer and pilot. He was Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Aviation, Amphibious Capability and Carriers) and head of the Fleet Air Arm from 2015 to 2019.'BLOUNT, Re ...
, the ship took part in the COUGAR 11 deployment under the ultimate command of
Commander Amphibious Task Group The Commander Littoral Strike Group (COMLSG) is a senior British Royal Navy Amphibious warfare appointment. COMLSG, who is based in Stonehouse Barracks, Stonehouse, Plymouth, reports to Commander United Kingdom Strike Force. It was first establishe ...
(CATG). During this deployment, she took part in Exercise Cypriot Lion. In May 2011, she was detached from CATG's COUGAR 11 deployment and sent with embarked Apaches to aid operations in Libya along with the attack helicopters aboard the French amphibious assault ship ''Tonnerre'' (L9014). This was the first time that Apache helicopters were sent directly into action from a Royal Navy ship. Her initial complement of three Apaches was bolstered by a fourth soon after, and later a fifth. The deployment included a large medical team, a sign of the ship's flexibility. On 4 May 2012, she moored at Greenwich to prepare for her role of providing logistics support, accommodation and a helicopter landing site during the London 2012 Olympic Games. From 24 to 28 May 2012, she visited Sunderland, her affiliated port, and made other port calls before returning to London on 13 July. After Olympic duty, ''Ocean'' returned to her home port of HMNB Devonport for a scheduled period of maintenance. The LPH role was provided by until 2014. On 22 July 2014, ''Ocean'' took over the helicopter carrier role again, after her 15-month, £65 million refit, replacing ''Illustrious'', which then returned to her home port Portsmouth for the last time, being decommissioned on 28 August 2014. As part of the Response Force Task Group COUGAR 14 deployment, ''Ocean'' participated in exercises off Albania and France. In April 2015 ''Ocean'' took part in Exercise Joint Warrior 15-1 around the coast of Scotland, with Wildcat helicopters landing on her for the first time. She then stopped again in Sunderland where the ship's company exercised their right to the freedom of the city, with more than 300 officers and ratings parading through the city centre. ''Ocean'' became the Royal Navy Fleet Flagship in June 2015. In December 2015, she returned to port after Exercise COUGAR 15, an amphibious warfare exercise in the Mediterranean with the French Navy. In September 2016, '' Ocean '' left Devonport for the inaugural Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) (JEF(M)) Task Group deployment which is the successor to the annual Cougar deployments. The bulk of this deployment took place East of Suez and demonstrated the UK's ongoing ability to deploy highly effective and combat capable maritime forces anywhere in the world. The core task group included the LSD RFA ''Mounts Bay'' (L3008), MOD strategic Ro-Ro vessel and . Elements of the Royal Marines
42 Commando 42 Commando (42 Cdo) (pronounced as Four-Two Commando) is a subordinate unit within the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Based at Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. ...
, were spread across the force. Frigates and Destroyers from the Royal Navy and French Navy joined throughout the deployment. On the 60th anniversary of Operation Musketeer, ''Ocean'' became the flagship of COMATG. This marked the end of the JEF(M) deployment. On 25 November, the ship rendezvoused with . COMATG assumed command of the U.S.
Task Force 50 Task may refer to: * Task (computing), in computing, a program execution context * Task (language instruction) refers to a certain type of activity used in language instruction * Task (project management), an activity that needs to be accomplished ...
, becoming Commander, Task Force 50 (CTF 50). Due to the U.S. Navy gap in carrier coverage in the Middle East, this was the first time a Royal Navy vessel had commanded the U.S. formation responsible for maritime war fighting in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulfs of Aden and Oman and the Indian Ocean. On 24 March ''Ocean'' returned to Devonport. During the deployment she steamed 23,000 miles, visited 11 countries, provided a platform for six British ambassadors and High Commissioners and was home to up to 1150 service personnel. At the end of August 2017, ''Ocean'' left Devonport for her final deployment, scheduled to take over as Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 flagship in the Mediterranean. Before she could relieve with
SNMG2 Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standing maritime immediate reaction force. SNMG2 consists of four to six destroyers and frigates. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational re ...
, ''Ocean'' was redeployed to assist in disaster relief efforts following Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean, and then the subsequent Hurricane Maria. ''Ocean'' was decommissioned on 27 March 2018 at HMNB Devonport, with Queen Elizabeth II attending the ceremony.


Sale to Brazil

Brazil, seeking a replacement for their navy's outgoing flagship, NAe ''São Paulo'', began discussions with the United Kingdom in 2017 to negotiate the purchase of ''Ocean'' for £84.3 million (312 million Brazilian Reais),https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-ocean-decommissioned-from-the-royal-navy-to-be-sold-to-brazil/ following her decommissioning in 2018. An agreement was struck and, after being transferred to Brazil, the former ''HMS Ocean'' was commissioned as ''Atlântico'' in June 2018. She is the flagship of the Brazilian Navy since. Initially being designated with the initials PHM (''Porta Helicópteros Multipropósito'', Multipurpose Helicopter Carrier), the ship's designation was changed to NAM (''Navio Aeródromo Multipropósito'', Multipurpose Aircraft Carrier) in 12 November 2020 due to her ability to host
UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...
s and VTOL aircraft.


Affiliations

* Coldstream Guards *
No. 27 Squadron RAF No. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. History First World War 27 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps formed at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on , being split off from 24 Squadron. Initially using air ...
*
No. 30 Squadron RAF Number 30 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft and is based at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. The squadron was first formed as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps in 1915, serving through the rest of t ...
* 656 Squadron, Army Air Corps * 657 Squadron, Army Air Corps * Worshipful Company of Farriers * City of Sunderland * Bedford Modern School CCF * Whitgift School *The Britannia Association *HMS Ocean Association *Duke of York Military School * Kings College Wimbledon CCF * Training Ship King Alfred * Merton
Sea Cadet Corps Sea cadets are members of a sea cadet corps, a formal uniformed youth organisation for young people with an interest in waterborne activities and or the national navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the navy or a naval s ...
- T.S. Trafalgar *11th Torbay Sea Scouts *6th Torbay Sea Scouts


See also

* Amphibious warfare ship *
List of amphibious warfare ships of the Royal Navy This is a list of amphibious warfare ships of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. Active ships * Landing platform dock (LPD) ** ''Albion'' ** ''Bulwark'' - extended readiness Decommissioned ''Ocean'' class Landing platform helicopter sh ...


Notes and references


External links


Royal Navy HMS ''Ocean''
(royalnavy.mod.uk)
HMS ''Ocean''
(naval-technology.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ocean (L12) Helicopter carrier classes Ships built in Govan 1995 ships Aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy Amphibious warfare vessels of the Royal Navy 2012 Summer Olympics