Albion-class landing platform dock

The ''Albion''-class landing platform dock is a class of amphibious warfare ship originally built for the Royal Navy. The class consists of two vessels, and , ordered in 1996 to replace the ageing . Both ships were built by BAE Systems Marine at the former Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering yard in Barrow-in-Furness. ''Albion'' was commissioned in 2003 and ''Bulwark'' in 2005. Each of the ships has a crew of 325 and can accommodate up to 405 troops. Thirty-one large trucks and thirty-six smaller vehicles and main battle tanks can be carried inside the vehicle deck. To disembark troops and vehicles, the vessels are equipped with eight landing craft. As of 2024, both vessels were in reserve. In November 2024, the newly elected Labour government indicated that the ships would be removed from service by March 2025. In April 2025 it was indicated that both ships would be sold to the Brazilian Navy.

Development

The value of the two s was highlighted during the Falklands War. Not only did the ships transport troops and vehicles to the South Atlantic, the commanders of the landing operations at San Carlos were aboard , and once they arrived their flight decks were used to support airborne operations by helicopters and Sea Harrier jets.

As these ships were built in the 1960s, on 18 July 1996 the British Ministry of Defence awarded a £450 million contract for their replacements to Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL) in Barrow-in-Furness.

The ships' roles are "to act as the afloat command platform for the Royal Navy's Amphibious Task Force and Landing Force Commanders when embarked" and "to embark, transport, deploy and recover troops with their equipment and vehicles which form part of an amphibious assault force". They are larger and more capable than the ''Fearless'' class, and formed part of a modernization programme of the British amphibious fleet, which included the helicopter carrier (until 2018), the s of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the s.

Extended readiness

To cut the running costs of the Royal Navy, the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review concluded that one of its two ''Albion''-class LPDs should be placed into extended readiness, or uncrewed reserve, while the other is held at high readiness for operations. The vessels were to alternate between extended readiness and high readiness throughout their service lives.

It was confirmed that ''Albion'' would be the first of the two vessels to be placed at extended readiness, for a cost of £2.5 million, as ''Bulwark'' had recently finished a major refit. Running costs while in extended readiness are estimated to be £300,000 per annum to keep the vessel available for reactivation at short notice. HMS ''Albion'' re-entered high readiness when HMS ''Bulwark'' was put into extended readiness. In 2014 Albion entered a regeneration refit and rejoined the active fleet in 2016. The running costs of one of the ''Albion''-class vessels at high readiness ranged from £17.7 million to £38.6 million per annum from 2007 to 2011. As of late 2018 ''Albion'' was in active service while ''Bulwark'' was held at extended readiness.

In 2024, it was reported that, due to manning problems in the Royal Navy and despite the pending completion of a major refit of HMS ''Bulwark'', both vessels were now expected to remain in reserve. In May 2024, the Navy indicated that it intended to retain both ships until 2033/34 when they would be replaced by the future Multi Role Support Ships (MRSS). However, in November 2024, the recently elected Labour government indicated that they would in fact be retired early in order to save money.

Characteristics

The ''Albion''-class LPDs have a length of , a breadth of , and a draught of . They have a normal displacement of , at full load and when the dock is flooded. The ships have a crew of 325 and can accommodate up to 405 troops, including their vehicles and combat supplies, in overload conditions. The GE Electric Propulsion System is powered by two Wärtsilä Vasa 16V 32E diesel generators generating at 6.6kV which drive two electric motors, two shafts, and a bow thruster as well as providing all the services power on the vessel. The first diesel electric propulsion system to be used in a Royal Navy surface ship was in the 1960s built ''Hecla''-class ocean survey ships. This is the first in a major surface combatant vessel. It reduces the engine room crew by about 66 per cent compared with the preceding ''Fearless'' class of ships. The diesel electric system can propel the ships to a maximum speed of 18 knots and have a range of .

The aft flight deck has two landing spots for aircraft the size of a Chinook, although it has no hangar or aircraft storage facility. Below the flight deck are the dock and vehicle deck. The latter has the capacity to hold thirty-one large trucks and thirty-six smaller vehicles or six Challenger 2 tanks and thirty armoured personnel carriers. The dock can hold four Landing Craft Utility MK10, each large enough to carry vehicles up to main battle tank size, which are then launched by flooding of the dock area. Four smaller LCVP MK5 that can carry thirty-five men or two light trucks are carried on davits, two each side of the ship's superstructure. Each ship also carries a fifty-two ton tracked beach recovery vehicle for assisting with landing craft recovery, as well as two tractors: one that can lay a track-way across a landing beach, and the second fitted with an excavating bucket and forks.

Weapons and sensors

For defence against missile attack, the ''Albion''-class LPDs were fitted with two 30 mm Goalkeeper CIWSs mounted fore and aft on the superstructure and two 20 mm cannon located on the forward superstructure. Defensive countermeasures include the Outfit DLJ decoys, eight Seagnat radar reflection / infra-red emitting decoy launchers and a BAE Systems DLH off-board decoy. In 2017, ''Albion'' had her Goalkeeper mounts removed and replaced by a pair of 20mm Phalanx mounts as part of her refit prior to returning to active service; ''Bulwark'' will have her Goalkeeper mounts removed upon her entry into Extended Readiness.

When commissioned, the ships were fitted with two Kelvin Hughes Type 1007/8 I-band radars, for navigation and aircraft control. For air and surface search, a Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems Radar Type 996 E/F band radar was fitted. From 2013 on, RT996 will be gradually replaced by the BAE Systems Maritime Services Artisan 3D E/F-band (designated RT997). was the first Royal Navy ship so fitted; RT997 will be fitted to ''Albion'' and ''Bulwark'' by 2015. There is also an ADAWS 2000 combat data system and a UAT/1-4 Electronic support measures (ESM) system.

Decommission and sale to Brazil

The decommission of the ships by the RN was planned for March 2025. On 20 December 2024, was reported that the Brazilian Navy is in negotiation with RN to buy HMS ''Bulwark''. On 26 January 2025, the ''Daily Mail'' reported the sale for Brazil of the two boats of the class, ''Albion'' and ''Bulwark'', in a negociation of £20 million ( R$145 million). On 4 February 2025, the Brazilian Navy confirmed the negotiations to the newspaper ''O Globo''.

On 2 April 2025, the Brazilian and British MoDs signed a letter of intent to launch the basis of formal negotiations, including detailed technical assessments and discussions on the financial and logistical terms, aiming at the incorporation of the units into the Brazilian Navy's fleet. On 4 April, the UK MoD confirmed the negotiations for the transfer. On 30 April, the UK's Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry and House of Commons MP Maria Eagle, confirmed the intention to sell the two ships to Brazil, in an answer to MP Ben Obese-Jecty.

Ships – disposal and current state

HMS ''Albion''

HMS ''Albion'' was launched at Barrow-in-Furness on 9 March 2001. After completing sea trials, ''Albion'' was commissioned in June 2003 and became fully operational in April 2004. Her home port is HMNB Devonport on the south coast of England.

In December 2010, it was announced that ''Albion'' would be the next Royal Navy flagship after . She was deployed with the Response Force Task Group to the Gulf of Sidra off Libya to assist the ongoing NATO-led operation, and then moved into the Indian Ocean in June 2011 to assist with anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa. In 2011 she entered a state of "extended readiness". In July 2017, she re-entered active service after a long re-fit. While remaining temporarily deployable if required, in July 2023 she entered reduced readiness (skeleton crew aboard for ship maintenance). By early 2024, she was reported to have transitioned to "extended readiness" (uncrewed reserve).

HMS ''Bulwark''

HMS ''Bulwark'', the second in the class, was launched at Barrow-in-Furness in November 2001, and was commissioned in December 2004.

One of ''Bulwark''s first missions was Operation Highbrow in the Mediterranean in July 2006. Docking in Beirut, the ship evacuated around 1,300 United Kingdom nationals. In May 2010, she entered dry-dock at HMNB Devonport for a £30 million refit. In October 2011, ''Bulwark'', having just completed an eight-month refit, became the flagship of the fleet. The refit improved her machinery and magazines, converted her to full night-vision tactical ability for landing craft and aircraft, and gave her the ability to operate two Chinook helicopters from the flight deck at the same time. She returned to reserve in 2016 and was expected to complete a lengthy refit in 2024 but nevertheless remain in uncrewed reserve, though with an ability to deploy "if required". Despite this recent refit (which had already cost £72.1 million), in November 2024 it was indicated that HMS ''Bulwark'', along with her sister ship, would in fact be taken out of service completely.

See also

* Amphibious warfare ship
* List of active Royal Marines military watercraft

References

Bibliography

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Albion Class Landing Platform Dock
Active amphibious warfare vessels of the United Kingdom

Amphibious warfare vessel classes
Ship classes of the Royal Navy