Ocean Class Helicopter Carrier (LPH) (1998-2018) (ex RN)

[shark bait]

Bays shouldnt go, they are proving to be very useful.
3 bays can be operated for the price of one albion, I would rather say get rid of the albions and order 3 more bays.

[marktigger]

I agree the bays shouldn't go but neither should the Albions but maybe we should have ordered dutch rotterdams (the Bay is a cut price version of these ships) to begin with.....oh wait the Rotterdam were built by Schelde not British Aerospace! certainly more flexible vessels.

remember the navy operate the Albions and the RFA operate the Bays. So if the RFA needs manpower for the Tides you can't chop a RN vessel and transfare its crew.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotterdam ... sport_dock

[GibMariner]

HMS Ocean was said to be taking over as fleet flagship today. Has there been any announcement of some kind of official ceremony or any event to mark the occasion?

[SKB]

HMS Ocean was said to be taking over as fleet flagship today. Has there been any announcement of some kind of official ceremony or any event to mark the occasion?

How's this? Plymouth Herald : http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymout ... story.html

[GibMariner]

HMS Ocean was said to be taking over as fleet flagship today. Has there been any announcement of some kind of official ceremony or any event to mark the occasion?

How's this? Plymouth Herald : http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymout ... story.html

Thanks for that, but it looks pretty much like the article the RN released last week and doesn't mention a specific event. It would be a shame if there wasn't as the RN (and the rest of the armed forces for that matter) needs all the good PR it can get.

Also, since Ocean is going to be spending the next few months acting as a 'NATO flagship' and Bulwark in the Med (I may be mistaken but I think the original plan was for four months) and Lyme Bay was murmured as a replacement (but at the same time rumoured to be stuck at Falmouth due to manpower issues) - will all this have any effect on the RFTG's Cougar 15 deployment later this year? I'd hate for it to be any worse than last year's deployment.

[SKB]

HMS Ocean grounded in Plymouth by wind
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/HMS-Oce ... story.html

[shark bait]

HMS Ocean grounded in Plymouth by wind
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/HMS-Oce ... story.html

Grounded seems a strange term to use. Sounds like shes just been held up in port.

Running aground would have been a very bad first day as a flagship

[Foxbat]

Presumably some journo who associates the word with bad weather preventing aircraft taking off so just applied the word here without realising that it has a very specific (and rather career ending for the captain) meaning when it comes to ships.

[GibMariner]

[wirralpete]

Interesting to see Ocean take on Fleet flagship role from HMS Bulwark.
I always thought Ocean lacked the C4SIR communications fit that Albion and Bulwark have, does this mean that Ocean have had her comms systems and abiltiy to embark and host a task force command group has been added (perhaps taken off Albion during her current mothballed status), and upgraded during her recent refit?

[GibMariner]

Interesting to see Ocean take on Fleet flagship role from HMS Bulwark.
I always thought Ocean lacked the C4SIR communications fit that Albion and Bulwark have, does this mean that Ocean have had her comms systems and abiltiy to embark and host a task force command group has been added (perhaps taken off Albion during her current mothballed status), and upgraded during her recent refit?

This article from a page or two back and the Plymouth Herald one from above states that:

Separately HMS Ocean recently completed fitting new communications and IT systems which now allows the ship to host a staff, headed by a Rear Admiral, commanding UK and NATO Task Groups.

As well as the ship’s role as the Royal Navy’s Flagship, the headquarters staff in Ocean will be the Maritime Component Commander of the NATO Response Force (NRF) in 2016.

Which seems to suggest what you say... whether they came from Albion or not, I have no idea.

Albion's refit has begun (http://www.naval-technology.com/news/ne ... on-4592169) so we might find out soon. If the kit was taken off Albion, there could be very bad news in the upcoming SDSR.

[wirralpete]

Cheers Gib must have missed that article:-)
Would seem Ocean may be around longer than her OSD date hopefully.

[GibMariner]

Cheers Gib must have missed that article:-)
Would seem Ocean may be around longer than her OSD date hopefully.

I may be mistaken, but I don't think Ocean would survive much longer than her current 2018 OSD - I think the plans were to use her crew to man the carrier(s), plus due to her commercial build it's said she won't be able to last much longer.

Maybe a reprieve for a year at most until Queen Elizabeth is fully operational I suppose.

[arfah]

who'd buy the ex-HMS Ocean?

I fear that she will be scrapped once out of service.

[SKB]

HMS Ocean will probably be scrapped as soon as one of the QEC (or both) enters service.

[shark bait]

who'd buy the ex-HMS Ocean?

I fear that she will be scrapped once out of service.

I hear Russia are in the market for a helicopter carrier again ......

[The Armchair Soldier]

HMS Ocean during BALTOPS:







More posted here: http://ukdefenceforum.net/viewtopic.php?p=3352#p3352

[shark bait]

nice shots.

Surprised me that the navy is contributing the 2nd largest force to the operation.

[sea_eagle]

Reported by the MOD news service.

The Times suggests that hundreds of US Marines are to be deployed on British and other European warships in the Mediterranean if Russia threatens NATO countries in Eastern Europe. The article reports that HMS Ocean, the Royal Navy’s flagship helicopter carrier, has been selected as one of the vessels to host US forces as the US Marine Corps does not have the capacity to permanently station an amphibious response force in Europe.

https://modmedia.blog.gov.uk/2015/06/16 ... a-16-june/

The link mentions The Times but that is behind a paywall so here is one from another paper:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/584779 ... ern-Europe

Not sure what else HMS Ocean can operate when it has 3 MV22 Osprey on board? I assume they can't fit below?

[shark bait]

Not sure what else HMS Ocean can operate when it has 3 MV22 Osprey on board? I assume they can't fit below?

That's a very interesting development, will be good to see some V22 operating of navy ships. V22 stored on deck, Apache below ?

I remember thinking the Apache looked like a squeeze for the lift, so I can imagine the V22 would fit.

[Pymes75]

Great pictures, Armchair Soldier! You can always rely onthe USN to provide excellent pictures of the Royal Navy when they exercise/operate together!!

[Gabriele]

Not sure what else HMS Ocean can operate when it has 3 MV22 Osprey on board? I assume they can't fit below?

I'm 99% sure that a folded MV-22 Osprey will not fit Ocean's lifts because it is a bit too long for them, unfortunately. Width wouldn't be an issue, but lenght i'm afraid it is.

However, folded up, the MV-22s will take the same deck space as a flight of 2 Chinooks, more or less. There will still be space for a fair bit of stuff, even though it'll maybe take a bit to figure out new movement schemes.

[sea_eagle]

Not sure what else HMS Ocean can operate when it has 3 MV22 Osprey on board? I assume they can't fit below?

I'm 99% sure that a folded MV-22 Osprey will not fit Ocean's lifts because it is a bit too long for them, unfortunately. Width wouldn't be an issue, but lenght i'm afraid it is.

However, folded up, the MV-22s will take the same deck space as a flight of 2 Chinooks, more or less. There will still be space for a fair bit of stuff, even though it'll maybe take a bit to figure out new movement schemes.

Thanks for the info Gabriele!

[The Armchair Soldier]

[SKB]

Found nice images of HMS Ocean's build and launch (11th October 1995). She'll be twenty years old next month.