Albion Class Amphibious Assault Ships (LPD) (RN)

[GibMariner]

Breathing life back into HMS Albion

Royal Navy amphibious command ship HMS Albion has reached a milestone in her major refit in dry dock in Devonport Docks, Plymouth.

It has been five years since HMS Albion was placed into extended readiness, but work is now well underway breathing life back into her to take over from sister landing ship HMS Bulwark next year.

With the external hull work almost complete and the ship due to refloat in the middle of this year, the focus is now on ship’s staff moving on-board early next year before commencing sea trials later in the year.

Commander Mark Hocking, head of HMS Albion’s weapons engineering, said: “having joined the ship in September 2014 when there were only a handful of personnel standing by, no lighting, ventilation or power, it has been an incredible journey to get her to this stage.

Read more: http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-la ... nto-albion

[The Armchair Soldier]

HMS Bulwark gunnery practice:

[GibMariner]

First landing of a junglie Merlin on Bulwark:

[marktigger]

how many Merlins can they land on at once?

[shark bait]

2 landing spots. Not really up to the job, but it was always intended to work with a helicopter carrier.

[The Armchair Soldier]

A neat little interactive 360 video of a landing craft leaving the dock of HMS Bulwark:

[arfah]

............

[The Armchair Soldier]

Looks like they've set the video to private/taken it down. Can't find any other links. Sorry mate.

[arfah]

............

[GibMariner]

HMS Bulwark & Merlin stores transfer:

[PAUL MARSAY]

What has happened to the goalkeepers , and could they be fitted to the Rivers ?

[marktigger]

goalkeeper has been withdrawn from UK use

[GibMariner]

Bulwark still has Goalkeeper:



Albion will be (or has been) fitted with Phalanx during her refit.

[Rambo]

Bulkwark today at Liverpool.

[arfah]

............

[Pseudo]

Bulkwark today at Liverpool.

Blimey! The ferry across the Mersey has gone a bit militant!

Good one!

[GibMariner]

Bulwark at Marchwood

[Bring Deeps]

Bulwark today at Portsmouth.

[SKB]

HMS Bulwark visited Portsmouth on Wednesday (25 May) as part of preparations for commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland in and around Scapa Flow.

[GibMariner]

HMS Bulwark visited Greenwich this week and hosted the Peregrine Trophy awards

[GibMariner]

Warship heading for North-East coast

ONE of the Royal Navy’s biggest warships is heading to the North-East next week.

Amphibious command ship HMS Bulwark will arrive off Sunderland on Wednesday ahead of the city’s annual international airshow.

On Friday, July 22 the ship’s company will exercise the traditional Freedom of the City of Durham ceremony, with 300 sailors and Royal Marines proudly marching through the city centre led by the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.

For the following two days, HMS Bulwark will be stationed a mile off Seaburn Beach to take part in the airshow, when her landing craft deliver Royal Marines and Viking tracked vehicles against an “enemy-held” artillery position.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/l ... ast_coast/

[GibMariner]

Massive refit of Plymouth-based HMS Albion is almost complete

A Royal Navy command ship has reached a milestone in a major refit at the Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth.

Work on the external hull of HMS Albion is complete and the ship's staff aim to be back on board early next year to start sea trails later in the year.

It took a total of 40 crew members and 18 hours for the team to move the 20,000 tonne ship into the basin.

Commander Mark Jones, head of HMS Albion's weapons engineering, said: "This has been a major milestone in HMS Albion's regeneration and confirmation of her ship's company and Babcock's determination to complete the delivery of a multi-million pound complex refit package in 2017."

The MOD's Bristol-based Defence Equipment and Support organisation and MOD industrial partner Babcock are involved with the refit with 4,000 people working on the ship.

Mike Whalley, Babcock Director Warship Support, said: "This is an important point in the programme which has been achieved ahead of plan. There is a significant amount of commissioning work still to do but the dedicated and committed joint team remains fully committed to getting HMS Albion back into service with the Royal Navy on schedule."

The next stage of the refit will include more than 110 alterations and additions to the ship to improve the combat system. This will include that addition of a Phalanx gun, a 997-radar and a new command system. More than one million man-hours are planned to get the ship ready for the next stage of operations, these will include extensive trials of all the ship's systems at sea and training of the crew on board.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/hms-alb ... story.html

[marktigger]

looking at Facebook pics of Bulwark today she still has GoalKeeper thought theses were phased out? but would be nice to see them fitted with Artisan Radar and CAMM possible LMM/starsteak to add in another layer of AD.

[PAUL MARSAY]

all ships of adequate displacement should mount camm

[GibMariner]

looking at Facebook pics of Bulwark today she still has GoalKeeper thought theses were phased out? but would be nice to see them fitted with Artisan Radar and CAMM possible LMM/starsteak to add in another layer of AD.

Albion is receiving (or maybe has received already) Artisan and Phalanx as part of her reactivation refit. Presumably Bulwark will be upgraded accordingly when they're rotated again.