Career
Ordered:	18 July 1996
Laid down:	23 May 1998
Launched:	9 March 2001
Commissioned:	19 June 2003
Decommissioned:
Fate:
Struck:
General Characteristics
Displacement:	18,500 tonnes, 21,500 tonnes whilst 'docked down'
Length:	176 m
Beam:	28.9 m
Draught:	7.1 m
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
Speed:	18 knots (33 km/h)
Range:
Complement:	325
Armament:	Two Goalkeeper Close In Weapon System (CIWS) Two 20 mm close range guns, Four Machine Gun positions.
Aircraft:
Motto:

The ninth and current Albion (2001-present) is one of the newest additions to the Royal Navy and is the nameship of a class of two, state of the art Landing Platform Dock Ships (LPD's) that will be a welcome addition to an already powerful amphibious assault capability. She was launched in March 2001 and was commissioned on the 19th June 2003 by her sponsor HRH The Princess Royal.

In 2003 she received the Freedom of the City of Chester and also had a prominent role in the Queen's Colour Parade for the Royal Navy in Plymouth Sound only the third time a Fleet Colour has been given in the Royal Navy's history.

In early 2004 the ship deployed on a multinational exercise for the first time, taking part in Exercise Joint Winter 04 off Norway, following which she was declared fully operational. Her next deployment is the Aurora exercises on the eastern seaboard of the United States. On 11 November 2004 the ship was directed towards Côte d'Ivoire to support Operation Phillis.

Other Albions

See HMS Albion for other ships of the same name.