HMS Bulwark is an
Albion-class landing platform dock, the
UK's newest class of
amphibious assault warship and built in
Barrow-in-Furness,
Cumbria,
England,
UK. For numerous reasons, delays caused the delivery date to be put back, with the ship entering service in December 2004. Coupled with
HMS Albion and
HMS Ocean, as well as other amphibious ships, it provides a much improved and potent amphibious capability for the
Royal Navy.
The 64 metre flight deck is able to take two
Sea King HC4 medium-lift helicopters and stow a third. The deck is also capable of supporting two
CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, one down the side of the flight deck and one at the rear of the flight deck. Though the Albion design does not have a hangar, the ship does have sufficient equipment to support helicopter operations.
The ship also supports a permanently-embarked Marine landing craft unit, 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines.
But the ship is not entirely centred around aircraft operations, more around operating many smaller boats for sending large amounts of troops to shore as quickly as possible. The rear of the Bulwark opens and floods a compartment allowing smaller boats inside to be launched.
Lady Walker, wife of
General Sir Michael Walker, named HMS Bulwark when the ship was launched at the
BAE Systems shipyard at
Barrow-in-Furness on 15 November 2001.
Service history
HMS
Bulwark departed the UK in January 2006 for a six-month East of Suez maiden deployment. She conducted counter-terrorist and counter-piracy tasks in waters off the Horn of Africa. HMS
Bulwark then headed for the northern Persian Gulf to become the flagship of Task Force 158, providing security for Iraqi oil platforms.
At the start of the summer of 2006 HMS
Bulwark was near
Spain. Due to the
2006 Israel-Lebanon crisis, on 15 July 2006 she was ordered to divert to
Lebanon and to support operations evacuating British citizens from the conflict area. On 20 July, she evacuated approximately 1,300 people from Beirut in the biggest British evacuation. On completion of her extended deployment the ship returned to the United Kingdom. At the start of June 2007 HMS
Bulwark was docked at
Sunderland on the
River Wear.
In October 2008 HMS
Bulwark was at the
Tail of the Bank in the
Firth of Clyde together with
HMS Ark Royal and
FS Tonnerre, taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior 2008, NW 082.
On 18 February 2009,
Bulwark sailed from
Devonport as
flagship to Commander UK Amphibious Task Group, Commodore Peter Hudson, on the Taurus 09 deployment. She is joined on this deployment by Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH)
HMS Ocean,
Type 23 Frigates
HMS Argyll and
HMS Somerset and four ships of the
Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Warship
Bulwark is the feature ship in the second season of
Warship originally shown on
Five in the UK. The season follows her during the Taurus 09 deployment.
Affiliations
- Worshipful Company Of Coachmakers & Coach Harness Makers
- Bulwark, Albion and Centaur Association
