HMS Albion (L14)

HMS Albion is a landing platform dock of the Royal Navy, the first of the two-ship Albion class. Built by BAE Systems Marine in Barrow-in-Furness, Albion was launched in March 2001 by the Princess Royal. Her sister ship, Bulwark, was launched in November 2001, also from Barrow. Affiliated to the city of Chester and based in Plymouth, she is the ninth ship to carry the name Albion (after Albion, an ancient name of Great Britain), stretching back to the 74-gun 1763 warship, and last carried by an aircraft carrier decommissioned in 1973 after 19 years service. Designed as an amphibious warfare ship, Albion carries troops, normally Royal Marines, and vehicles up to the size of the Challenger 2 main battle tank. She can deploy these forces using four Landing Craft Utility (LCUs) and four Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVPs). A flight deck supports helicopter operations.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Albion.

HMS Albion pictured operating with Dutch Royal Marines.
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Albion
Ordered18 July 1996
BuilderBAE Systems Marine
Laid down23 May 1998 Barrow-in-Furness, England
Launched9 March 2001
Sponsored byThe Princess Royal
Commissioned19 June 2003
RefitMajor 2014–2017
HomeportHMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Identification
Motto
  • Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter
  • "Boldly, Faithfully, Successfully"
StatusExtended readiness (uncrewed reserve) as of early 2024
NotesRe-dedication service: 21 July 2017
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeAlbion-class amphibious transport dock
Displacement19,560 t (19,250 long tons; 21,560 short tons)
Length176 m (577 ft 5 in)
Beam28.9 m (94 ft 10 in)
Draught7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Wärtsilä Vasa 16V 32E diesel generators
  • 2 × Wärtsilä Vasa 4R 32E diesel generators
  • GE Power Conversion Full Electric Propulsion System, 2x Electric Motors and Drives
  • bow thruster
Speed18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Range8,000 miles (7,000 nmi; 13,000 km)
Boats & landing
craft carried
  • 2 × Pacific 22 Mk2
  • 4 × LCU MK10
  • 4 × LCVP MK5
Capacity67 vehicles
Troops405 Royal Marines (710 overload)
Crew325
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 2 × Type 1007/8 I-band radars
  • 1 × Type 996 E/F band radar (until 2011)
  • 1 × Type 997 E/F-band radar (from 2017)
Armament
  • 2 × 20mm Phalanx CIWS (from 2017)
  • 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
  • Browning .50 caliber heavy machine guns (as of 2023)
  • 6 × 7.62 mm general purpose machine guns
Aviation facilitiesTwo landing spots for helicopters up to the size of a Chinook.

Albion's future came under review as part of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. She was the fleet flagship from December 2010 until October 2011, and then again from March 2018 until January 2021.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.