THE END OF HMS ALBION & HMS BULWARK

The Labour government has ended one of the nation’s prime capabilities and scrapped Plymouth’s two amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. The defence cuts of the two assault ships have been met with a mixture of local anger, disbelief, and resignation.

HMS ALBION’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO PLYMOUTH in July 2023, back from a long deployment with gunfire echoing across the city.

The Defence Secretary John Healey told the House of Commons last November that the Royal Navy’s two Albion-class amphibious assault ships, and key naval platforms that offer littoral strike roles for the Royal Marines, were to be axed, and in addition the ageing Type 23 frigate, HMS Northumberland, was also being scrapped.

HMS Northumberland to be retired by March 2025 following the discovery of structural damage during its refit.
HMS Bulwark in dock with new paint works and under cover.

The two assault ships were normally operated with one vessel in service and the other kept ready to be worked up if required in an emergency. It was disclosed by ministers that both Albion-class vessels were unlikely to have sailed before their expected out-of-service dates (2033 for HMS Albion, 2034 for HMS Bulwark), unless required in an emergency.

HMS Albion in the sound returning from an overseas deployment.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) will now command the sole amphibious assault capability available for the UK with three Bay-Class Landing Ship docks together with RFA Argus. The savings of scrapping the Albion class is estimated to be £9 million per year.

Plans for Multi-Role Support Ships (MRSS) are still in the pre-concept phase and at least over 10+ years away if they survive the latest Defence Review. It is not confirmed how many MRSS vessels will be acquired, or whether they will be operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary or Navy.