Tag Archives: HMS Albion

An Albion & Bulwark-sized hole in the RN’s Sealift

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Between 1982 and 2017, the Royal Navy’s amphibious forces enjoyed a renaissance.

Saved from a planned gutting by the Falklands operation, the capability was preserved– and even enhanced– for a 35-year run that included very successful over-the-beach operations in 2000’s Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone and then during Operation Telic during the 2003 Iraq War– where the latter saw a full brigade-sized amphibious assault on the strategically key Al-Faw peninsula in south-east Iraq.

Royal Marine Commandoes from 42 Commando hit MAMYOKO BEACH from Sea King helicopters of 846 Naval Air Squadron, in a demonstration of amphibious power during Operation Silkman in Freetown, Sierra Leone 13 Nov 2000. MOD image by Royal Navy PO Jim Gibson (Click to big up)

By the late 1990s, the RNs phibs included 13 dedicated new vessels: a 21,000-ton LPH (HMS Ocean), two 20,000-ton LPDs– HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, four 16,000-ton Bay-class landing ships of the civilian-manned Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and six 23,000-ton Point-class roll-on/roll-off merchant sealift ships permanently contracted to the MoD for use as needed. Basic math puts this at 263,000 tons of vessels dedicated to the ‘phib role, with about a quarter of that being RN manned and controlled.

However, this had been whittled away with the still-young HMS Ocean sold to Brazil– where she serves as that fleet’s proud flagship– and one of the four Bays (RFA Largs Bay) sold to Australia. Two of the Point-class RO/ROs have all been released from contract (while gratefully the other four have recently been retained on a new contract running until 2031).

Now, Maria Eagle, Minister of State for Defence, recently stated:

“All of the remaining crew from HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark have been reassigned: either to other platforms, to training courses, or into other positions supporting the Royal Navy’s highest priority outputs.”

Britain’s flagship HMS Albion (L-14), seen in the Java Sea, 2018. With a well deck capable of holding four LCU MK10s and another four LCVP MK5s can be held in davits, she can land 620 Marines on the beach in a single lift. Meanwhile, she can also accommodate three CH-47 Chinooks on her heli deck. 

For reference, Albion and Bulwark only entered the RN in 2003 and 2004, respectively and the latter has been in an extended major refit to add 15 years of life to her! Both ships have been effectively in reserve since 2011, swapping places in reserve/high readiness conditions over that time, meaning both are low-milage vessels. The plan had been to retain them until at least the mid-2030s, but the Labor government has scrapped that idea.

The official disposal of Albion and Bulwark cuts the two most capable British “gators” from the fleet inventory, slashing 40,000 tons of sealift in the process. Coupled with the sale of HMS Ocean and RFA Largs Bay, and the release of MV Longstone and Beachy Head from the contract, the Royal Navy only has three Bays (two of which are laid up!) and four Points left on tap, representing 140,000 tons of shipping.

Worse, all of it is civilian-manned and those mariners have not been very happy lately.

If the red button gets mashed in 2025, it looks like only one dedicated amphibious warship, the humble RFA Lyme Bay (L3007), would be able to take the call. Meanwhile, the Royal Marines have been reduced to just two deployable six-company battalion-sized units: 40 Cdo and 42 Cdo.

RFA Lyme Bay in the Mediterranean as she makes her way back to the UK after training with the Italian Navy, in November 2020. LPhot Barry Swainsbury MOD 45167525

Designed for 356 embarked Royal Marines, she can double that for short, uncomfortable, stints. Her tiny well deck can hold either a single LCU or two LCVPs while her heli deck (without hangar) can only support a limited amount of vertical lift. Her self-defense armament is limited to a pair of 20mm CIWS and a few light guns.

Besides the light battalion landed on the beach in five or six (hopefully unopposed) lifts by Lyme Bay’s sole LCU, anything else would have to be flown in by fixed-wing RAF assets to marry up with equipment brought in sometime later by the Point class RO/ROs to a seized local port. This can be alleviated a bit by the use of Mexifloat connectors– provided of course that the beach can handle the load and the deep water curve is close enough to the surfline to accommodate Lyme Bay’s 19-foot draft without grounding. 

Churchill wept.

Since you came this far, enjoy this recent interview with retired MG Julian Thompson, CB, OBE, who got the call to take 3 Commando to the Falklands in 1982– back when the RN had a proper amphibious force.

Is 3 Commando Still a Thing?

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The British 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde) dates back to 1942 when it was (eventually) composed of four assorted Commando battalions (No. 1 and No. 5 Army, and Nos. 42 and 45 Royal Marines) and their support units.

Royal Marine Commandos attached to 3rd Division moved inland from Sword Beach on the Normandy coast, on 6 June 1944. IWM B 5071

Post-war, the Army Commandos were disbanded but the RMs kept on trucking and participated in the Suez fiasco, the last time for 26 years that it operated in combat as a full brigade.

Captain Griffiths inspecting troops of 45 Royal Marine Commando in full battle equipment, preparatory to their being landed at Port Said from HMS THESEUS, Suez Operation, 1956. Note the desert goggles and A 33635

It is perhaps most famous for its service in the Falklands in 1982.

In that epic campaign, bolstered by 2 and 3 Para along with two SAS Squadrons, its three RM Commandos (40, 42, and 45) along with the Rigid Raiders, three SBS sections, the school staff and trainees of the Mountain and Arctic Warfare cadre, and Commando-trained Army support units (29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery; 59 Independent Commando Sqn, Royal Engineers, T-battery 12 Air Defense Regiment, 30 Signal Regiment) 3 Commando did most of the heavy lifting to liberate the islands. Sure, 5 Guards Bde got in on the final push on Stanley– particularly the Scots Guards who stormed Tumbledown and the Welsh Guards who faced the disaster that was Bluff Cove– but 3 Commando effectively won the war on the ground.

THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL – JUNE 1982 (FKD 178) A Royal Marine of 3 Commando Brigade helps another to apply camouflage face paint in preparation for the San Carlos landings on 21 May 1982. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205124181

A column of 45 Royal Marine Commandos yomp towards Port Stanley. Royal Marine Peter Robinson, carrying the Union Jack flag on his backpack as identification, brings up the rear. This photograph, taken in black and white and color, became one of the iconic images of the Falklands Conflict. IWM FKD 2028

Following the Falklands, 3 Commando saw a renaissance in support of amphibious operations.

Whereas most of the aging landing ships and carriers used in 1982 had been slated for either layup or disposal, the Admiralty dug into its purse and in the early 1990s funded a new 21,000-ton LPH (HMS Ocean), two new 20,000-ton LPDs– HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark— followed shortly later by four new 16,000-ton Bay-class landing ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and six 23,000-ton Point-class roll-on/roll-off sealift ships permanently contracted to the MoD for use as needed.

A force of 13 brand-new ‘phibs to carry a brigade. No problem. Further, with the obsolescence of this new force not expected until the 2030s, it should have continued to not be a problem. After all, the two 16,000-ton Fearless-class landing platform docks, which entered service in the early 1960s and spearheaded the amphibious operations in the Falklands racked up a combined 69 years of service. 

This set up 3 Commando for great success in 2000’s Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone and then during Operation Telic during the 2003 Iraq War– where it made its first bridge-sized amphibious assault in over 20 years by landing on the strategically key Al-Faw peninsula in south-east Iraq.

Royal Marine Commandoes from 42 Commando hit MAMYOKO BEACH from Sea King helicopters of 846 Naval Air Squadron, in a demonstration of amphibious power during Operation Silkman in Freetown, Sierra Leone 13 Nov 2000. MOD image by Royal Navy PO Jim Gibson (Click to big up)

Now, following two decades of deployments abroad in places well ashore such as Afghanistan, made worse by successive waves of budget cuts, the RN’s amphibious warfare fleet has been hollowed out.

  • The mighty HMS Ocean was sold to Brazil in 2018 where she will no doubt remain the crown jewel of that navy for decades.
  • Albion is in reduced readiness while Bulwark is laid up in an extended refit and — and calls are circulating to dispose of the two still very useful LPDs to free up sailors for other vessels, amid a recruitment crisis. 
  • One of the four Bays (RFA Largs Bay) was sold to Australia. Should Bulwark and Albion be scrapped, this remaining trio of 18-knot RFA-manned LPDs can only accommodate about 350 men each in a landing but would be the core of any British amphibious ready group.
  • Two of the six Point-class RO/ROs have been released from contract with the other four set to have their contracts expire this year.

In a decade, the 13-ship RN gator fleet has dwindled to possibly as few as three deployable ships, although all three may not be deployable at the same time. 

PHM Atlântico (former HMS Ocean), the Brazilian Navy’s new flagship, sails into its new home in Rio, in 2018

As for 3 Commando itself, while it now consists of five Commandos (40, 42, 43, 45, and 47) that is something of a paper tiger.

This is because 43 Cdo is a fleet protection unit safeguarding the SSBN base at Faslane, 45 Cdo is a fleet protection unit for Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels around the globe, and 47 Cdo is a small boat and training group akin to a U.S. Navy Assault Craft Unit. 

That only leaves 40 Cdo and 42 Cdo as the only true deployable six-company battalion-sized units in the “brigade.” A third battlion would have to come from either a mustered 45 Cdo reinforced by 43 Cdo elements– which would shortstaff their respective current missions– or a “round out” from the 1st Marine Combat Group of the Dutch Korps Mariniers which has been working with 3 Cdo Bde for decades, the latter unlikely outside of a NATO mission. At least 3 Commando is still supported by a mix of Army artillery, engineer, and support units, freeing up Marines for pulling triggers.

While there is a Royal Marines Reserve, the 600-strong service is spread out in 17 small drilling units around the UK — not a cohesive and immediately combat deployable Commando– and is primarily used for augmentation missions.

So it doesn’t much matter if all they had to deploy on were a couple of slow Bay-class LPDs anyway, as the Royal Marines don’t have enough bootnecks to fill them anyway.

The future for the RMs, at least in terms of afloat deployments, is likely just small reinforced company-sized groups operating from their dwindling few amphibious warfare vessels, and even smaller platoon-sized groups on the RN’s five Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels (Forth, Medway, Trent, Tamar, and Spey) which are being assigned to wave the flag in the Caribbean and Pacific as the country only has about 15 frigates left and they are otherwise needed to screen its two carriers.

That sounds like a great way to get a company or platoon-sized force wiped out if things ever get real.

Royal Navy vessel HMS Spey (P234) (foreground) conducts coordinated ship maneuvers with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) on Sept. 17, 2023, in the South China Sea. The River class OPV can carry up to 50 Marines and are being extensively deployed around the globe to be the RN’s “peace cruisers.” (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Brett Cote)

Probably time to let the Army’s 3 Commando units switch over to support the new four-battalion Ranger Regiment, which could be the unwritten plan all along.

Exercise Cold Response (with a decided lack of naval air)

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Built around the recently completed Queen Elizabeth-class Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09), currently serving as a NATO command ship, some 25 ships from 11 nations are assembled in the Arctic for Exercise Cold Response 2022.

“The purpose of the Cold Response exercises is to train a rapid military reinforcement of Norway under challenging climate conditions and in a so-called NATO Article 5 scenario.”

Besides HMSPoW, the Royal Navy has 900 Royal Marines ashore in central Norway and embarked on HMS Albion and RFA Mounts Bay and is escorted by the Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender, Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland, and minehunter HMS Grimsby. Italy’s aging “Harrier carrier” ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (C 551) is present as is France’s LPH Dixmude and Holland’s LSD Hr.Ms. Rotterdam, the latter escorted by the frigate Hr.Ms. De Severn Provincien. Danish ships include the frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes (F 362) and the survey ship Vædderen from 1. Eskadre. The Germans have sent the Frankenthal-class minehunter FGS Bad Bevensen (M1063) and the corvette Erfurt.

The U.S. is there with the forward-based (Rota-homeported) advanced Flight II Burke USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) while the command ship USS Mount Whitney and the old-school early Burke USS The Sullivans (DDG-66) have been mentioned in passing.

Operating with the force are RAF F-35Bs from 617 Sqn and 207 Sqn and Poseidon MRAs, all from shore, along with Eurofighters, USAF assets, Norwegian and Danish F-16s, and others. There are surely some Royal Norwegian Air Force (Luftforsvaret) P-3C/N Orions from Andøya’s No. 333 squadron making an appearance as well.

What hasn’t been seen is embarked naval fixed-wing assets, despite having two flattops underway. 

The 65,000-ton Prince of Wales, sans her planned F-35s. In fact, it looks like her deck is completely bare

Garibaldi is the Amphibious Task Force Commander Landing Force for the exercise but doesn’t seem to have an air group embarked. It would be nice to see the Italian Navy’s AV-8Bs still flexing.

There were some Jump Jets on hand, though as 10 USMC Harrier IIs of VMA-223 arrived at Bodø earlier this month alongside 10 ten F/A-18C/D Hornets from VMFA-312. 
 

A U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 223, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, taxis on the runway at Bodø Air Station, Norway, March 3, 2022. Exercise Cold Response ’22 is a biennial Norwegian national readiness and defense exercise that takes place across Norway, with participation from each of its military services, as well as from 26 additional North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allied nations and regional partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Henke)

Other Marine aircraft in Norway for CR 22 are KC-130J Hercules, MV-22B Ospreys of VMA-261, AH-1Z Vipers and UH-1Y Venoms of HMLA-269; plus CH-53E Super Stallions from HMH-366.

Throughout the month, in total, about 50 naval vessels are participating in the exercise, which brings together 30,000 soldiers and support personnel from 27 countries – on land, at sea, and in the air.