HMS Bulwark (L15)

300px HMS Bulwark (L15)
Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Bulwark
Operator:	Royal Navy
Ordered:	18 July 1996
Builder:	BAE Systems Marine
Laid down:	27 January 2000 Barrow-in-Furness, England
Launched:	15 November 2001
Sponsored by:	Lady Walker
Commissioned:	10 December 2004
Homeport:	HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Motto:	"Under thy wings I will trust"
Status:	in active service, as of 2024
General characteristics
Class and type:	Albion class landing platform dock
Displacement:	21,500 tonnes
Length:	176 m
Beam:	25.6 m waterline, 28.9 m maximum
Propulsion:	2 × Wärtsilä 6.25 MW and 2 × Wärtsilä 1.56 MW diesel generators operating at 6.6 kV driving two AC motors through twin shafts and a bowthruster unit
Speed:	18 knots (33 km/h)
Range:	7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km)
Complement:	325
Armament:	2 × Goalkeeper CIWS 4 × 7.62 mm machine guns 2 × 20 mm cannon

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Bulwark.

HMS Bulwark is an Albion-class landing platform dock, the UK's newest class of amphibious assault warship and built in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, UK. For numerous reasons, delays caused the delivery date to be put back, with the ship entering service in December 2004. Coupled with HMS Albion and HMS Ocean, as well as other amphibious ships, it provides a much improved and potent amphibious capability for the Royal Navy.

The 64 metre flight deck is able to take two Sea King HC4 medium-lift helicopters and stow a third. The deck is also capable of supporting two CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, one down the side of the flight deck and one at the rear of the flight deck. Though the Albion design does not have a hangar, the ship does have sufficient equipment to support helicopter operations.

The ship also supports a permanently-embarked Marine landing craft unit, 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines.

But the ship is not entirely centred around aircraft operations, more around operating many smaller boats for sending large amounts of troops to shore as quickly as possible. The rear of the Bulwark opens and floods a compartment allowing smaller boats inside to be launched.

Lady Walker, wife of General Sir Michael Walker, named HMS Bulwark when the ship was launched at the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness on 15 November 2001.

Service history

HMS Bulwark departed the UK in January 2006 for a six-month East of Suez maiden deployment. She conducted counter-terrorist and counter-piracy tasks in waters off the Horn of Africa. HMS Bulwark then headed for the northern Persian Gulf to become the flagship of Task Force 158, providing security for Iraqi oil platforms.

At the start of the summer of 2006 HMS Bulwark was near Spain. Due to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon crisis, on 15 July 2006 she was ordered to divert to Lebanon and to support operations evacuating British citizens from the conflict area. On 20 July, she evacuated approximately 1,300 people from Beirut in the biggest British evacuation. On completion of her extended deployment the ship returned to the United Kingdom. At the start of June 2007 HMS Bulwark was docked at Sunderland on the River Wear.

In October 2008 HMS Bulwark was at the Tail of the Bank in the Firth of Clyde together with HMS Ark Royal and FS Tonnerre, taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior 2008, NW 082.

On 18 February 2009, Bulwark sailed from Devonport as flagship to Commander UK Amphibious Task Group, Commodore Peter Hudson, on the Taurus 09 deployment. She is joined on this deployment by Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) HMS Ocean, Type 23 Frigates HMS Argyll and HMS Somerset and four ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

In Spring 2010 she entered a 6 month refit at HMNB Devonport no 8 dock.

Warship

Bulwark is the feature ship in the second season of Warship originally shown on Five in the UK. The season follows her during the Taurus 09 deployment.

Affiliations

• County Durham
• Royal Irish Regiment
• Worshipful Company Of Coachmakers & Coach Harness Makers
• Bulwark, Albion and Centaur Association
• RAF Odiham
• Giggleswick School CCF

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

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• List of amphibious warfare ships