HMS Bulwark (L15)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Bulwark.

HMS Bulwark at Navy Days 2010
Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Bulwark
Operator:	Royal Navy
Ordered:	18 July 1996
Builder:	BAE Systems Marine
Laid down:	27 January 2000 Barrow-in-Furness, England
Launched:	15 November 2001
Sponsored by:	Lady Walker
Commissioned:	10 December 2004
Homeport:	HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Motto:	"Under thy wings I will trust"
Status:	in active service, as of 2012
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Albion-class landing platform dock
Displacement:	21,500 tonnes
Length:	176 m
Beam:	25.6 m waterline, 28.9 m maximum
Propulsion:	2 × Wärtsilä 6.25 MW and 2 × Wärtsilä 1.56 MW diesel generators operating at 6.6 kV driving two AC motors through twin shafts and a bowthruster unit
Speed:	18 knots (33 km/h)
Range:	7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km)
Complement:	325
Armament:	2 × Goalkeeper CIWS 4 × 7.62 mm machine guns 2 × 20 mm cannon

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. For numerous reasons, delays caused the delivery date to be put back, with the ship entering service in December 2004. Together with Albion, Ocean, and other amphibious ships, she provides a much-improved and potent amphibious capability for the Royal Navy. In October 2011 she became the Flagship of 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 can also support two 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 has sufficient equipment to support helicopter operations.

The ship also supports a permanently embarked Marine landing craft unit, 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines.

She is not entirely centred around aircraft operations, more around operating many smaller boats for sending large numbers of troops to shore as quickly as possible. The rear of the Bulwark opens and floods a compartment, allowing boats inside to be launched.

HMS Bulwark was launched at the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness on 15 November 2001.

Service history

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. 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 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 Bulwark was berthed at Sunderland on the River Wear.

In October 2008 Bulwark was at the Tail of the Bank in the Firth of Clyde together with Ark Royal and the French ship Tonnerre, taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior 2008.

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 was joined by Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) Ocean, Type 23 frigates Argyll and Somerset and four ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

In Spring 2010 she entered a six-month refit at HMNB Devonport No. 8 dock.

In March 2011 she rejoined the fleet and will take over as Fleet Flagship from her sister ship Albion later in 2011. She made a five-day visit to London on 16 March 2011.

Bulwark undertook Operational Sea Training at the end of June 2011 in preparation to take up the role of fleet flagship of the Royal Navy. Bulwark is on standby as leading ship of the UK's recently formed Response Force Task Group. In October she participated in Exercise Joint Warrior in Loch Eriboll, the largest war games staged in the UK, involving the French Marines and other NATO forces.

On 15 February 2012, Bulwark made an unscheduled stop in Kiel, Germany, after ice on the Elbe river prevented her from entering the city of Hamburg as originally planned. The vessel is in the Baltic Sea to prepare for Exercise 'Cold Response', a NATO winter war games exercise due to take place in northern Norway in March 2012.

Bulwark is due to be withdrawn from its current role and enter extended readiness in 2016 when it will switch roles with HMS Albion (L14)

Warship

Bulwark is the feature ship in the second season of Warship originally shown on television channel Five in the UK. The season followed her during the Taurus 09 deployment.

Affiliations

• County Durham
• Royal Irish Regiment
• Worshipful Company Of Coachmakers & Coach Harness Makers
• Bulwark, Albion and Centaur Association
• RAF Odiham
• Giggleswick School CCF

Monkton Combe School CCF

See also

• List of amphibious warfare ships