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HMS Bulwark is one of the Royal Navy’s two Albion-class amphibious assault ships. Together with her sister vessel, her job is to land Royal Marines and their equipment – including trucks and tanks – ashore by air and sea.
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Along with her sister ship HMS Albion, HMS Bulwark’s primary role is to transport large numbers of troops, vehicles and equipment and land them ashore using her on-board landing craft. The landing craft are permanently operated by 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines.
With a crew of 325, HMS Bulwark can also accommodate up to 405 additional troops, as well as 31 trucks, 36 smaller vehicles, and even main battle tanks. Her 64-metre-long flight deck can also house two Merlin or Sea King helicopters and two Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.
The current assault ship is the seventh RN warship to bear the name in a history that stretches back to 1777 but despite her naming, the keel was never laid and she was later cancelled.
The second Bulwark made it through build and was launched in April 1807, and served for almost two decades, seeing service in the American War of 1814-15. She was broken up in 1825.
The next Bulwark suffered a similar fate to the first – laid down in 1859, her build was put on hold, and she lay dry until being dismantled in 1872.
The fourth, a wooden first-rate 121-gun battleship, made it to launch in 1860, notched up her steam trials in 1861, but was never completed for sea.
The fifth, a 15,000-ton twin-screw battleship, was launched at Devonport in 1899, and claims the Antarctic explorer Capt Robert Falcon Scott as one of her commanding officers.
She also suffered an ill-fated end off Sheerness in November 1914 – while loading on ammunition an internal explosion tore the heart of the ship apart, killing all but 12 of the 750 ship’s company.
The 22,000-ton light fleet carrier, launched in June 1948, was the last holder of the name. She saw service in the Suez Crisis before being modified to a pure helicopter commando carrier in 1959.
She retired in 1976 , but returned in 1979 as an anti-submarine warfare carrier – living up to her nickname 'The Rusty B', drawn from her motto 'Under thy wings I will (t)rust'.
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Mine hunter ships, frigates, destroyers and assault ships, among others, form the backbone of our naval prowess.
A vital element of the Royal Navy's role is keeping the peace, preventing conflict and containing situations before they develop.
The UK has a responsibility to its citizens and its allies to endeavour to safeguard the high seas. This is why the Royal Navy protects home and international waters.
