The Albion-class landing platform dock ships are the newest amphibious assault vessels in the Royal Navy fleet. They replace the older Fearless-class vessel that had been in service for over thirty years. The class consists of two vessels, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. Both were delayed coming into service, and there was a gap between the decommissioning of HMS Fearless and the commissioning of Albion of some eighteen months. This was particularly felt by the Navy because during those eighteen months the first amphibious assault carried out by British forces in over 20 years was mounted.

The class gives the Royal Navy the ability to land heavy forces over the beach as the ships are capable of taking Challenger 2 tanks and all other heavy armoured vehicles that the United Kingdom operates. The class has a well deck and each ship carries four Landing Craft Utility Mark 10. The ships can carry 325 military personnel on board in normal conditions and another 405 in overload conditions. They do not have hangers but have helicopter pads capable of accepting a Chinook helicopter.

Albion Class Statistics

• Displacement: 18,500 tonnes
• Docked Down: 21,500 tonnes (approx.)
• Builder: Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL)
• Speed: 18 knots (33 km/h), range of 7000 nautical miles (13,000 km)
• Length:: 176 metres
• Complement: 325
• Armament:
  • 2 x Goalkeeper Close In Weapon System (CIWS)
  • Seagnat Decoy System
  • UAT Electronic Warfare System
  • 2 x 20mm close range guns,
  • 4 x Machine Gun positions.
• Propulsion: 2 x 6.25 MW & 2 x 1.56 MW diesel generators driving two AC motors through twin shafts and a bowthrust unit, all operating at 6.6 kV. RN's first integrated Full Electric propulsion ships.
• Amphibious and Troop Transport Capabilities:
  • Embarked Military Personnel: 305 troops with an additional overload capacity of a further 405 soldiers a total of 710 troops.
  • Vehicle Deck Capacity: Six tanks or thirty armoured all-terrain tracked carriers. Floodable well dock, with the capacity to take either four utility landing craft (each capable of carrying one Challenger 2 tank) or shelter a hovercraft landing craft. There are also four smaller landing craft davits, each capable of carrying 35 troops.
  • Helicopter Capacity: Two-spot 64 metre flight deck able to take medium support helicopters and stow a third. The deck is also capable of carrying a Chinook. The Albion class design does not have a hangar but has the necessary equipment that is required to support aircraft operations.

See Also

• Royal Navy
• The Royal Navy in the 21st Century
• List of amphibious warfare ships of the Royal Navy