Albion class landing platform dock

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HMS Bulwark (L15) in the northern Persian Gulf in March 2006

The Albion class is a class of landing platform dock, and are the newest amphibious assault vessels in the Royal Navy fleet. The class consists of two vessels, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and they were ordered in 1996 under a programme known as LPD(R) (Landing Platform Dock (Replacement)) to replace the aging Fearless class. Both ships were built by BAE Systems Marine at the former VSEL yard in Barrow-in-Furness. Albion commissioned on June 19, 2003 and Bulwark on July 12, 2004.

The class gives the Royal Navy the ability to land heavy forces as the ships operate the Landing Craft Utility Mark 10, capable of taking a Challenger 2 tank or all other heavy armoured vehicles that the United Kingdom operates. The well deck can operate four such LCUs. The ships carry 305 military personnel on board in normal conditions and another 405 in overload conditions. The vehicle decks are capable of carrying up to six Challenger 2 tanks, six L118 105 mm Light Guns and up to sixty-seven various support vehicles and trailers. They do not have hangars but have a 64-metre flight deck and landing spots capable of accepting a Chinook helicopter or two aircraft up to the size of the Merlin HC3 or Sea King HC4. Each ship operates a Hippo BARV (Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle) to assist in landing operations. The Hippo is a conversion by ALVIS Moelv of a Leopard 1A5 tank into a military crawler tractor. The Hippo has a tractive effort of 250 kN (56,000 lbf), a fording depth of 2.95 m (10 ft) and can pull vehicles up to 50 tonnes weight or push off from the beach a 240 tonne displacement landing craft.

The class offers numerous improvements over their Fearless class predecessors and 60% of their equipment was new to naval service when introduced ^[1]. The state-of-the-art Combined Operations Room which is an electronically advanced "amphibious battle-staff co-ordination cell" that has 72 workstations for the naval task group and amphibious landing forces^[2]. The class also features - the Royal Navy's first - integrated full electric propulsion system, reducing engine-room personnel by around two-thirds, allowing for a total reduction in personnel of 40%^[1]. The new Mark 10 LCU allows for roll-on / roll-off operations, assisting vehicle loading operations in the well deck.

[edit] General specifications

Displacement:) / 18,500 tonnes (deep) / 21,500 tonnes (docked down)
Builder: Marconi Marine (VSEL) / BAE Systems Marine, Barrow-in-Furness
Speed: 18 knots (33 km/h)
Range: 7000 nautical miles (13,000 km)
Length: 176 metres
Complement: 325
Armament:
- 2 x Thales Nederland Goalkeeper 30 mm Close-in weapon systems (CIWS)
- NATO Seagnat launchers, outfit DLJ & DLH decoys
- 2 × 20 mm Oerlikon / BMARC GAM-B01 close range guns,
- 4 x machine gun positions.
Electronics:
- 1 x Radar Type 996(2) 3D surveillance
- 2 x Radar Type 1007 navigation / helicopter control
- UAT(7) intercept ESM
- Type 675(2) jammer
- BAE Systems ADAWS 2000 mod 1 (Action Data Automated Weapon System) command system
- EADS Astrium SCOT satcom (Satellite Communications Onboard Terminal)
Propulsion: 2 shaft integrated full electric propulsion, 2 x Wartsila 16V 32E 6.25 MW & 2 x Wartsila 4R 32E 1.56 MW diesel generators, 2 AC motors, bow thruster unit,
Amphibious and Troop Transport Capabilities:
- Military personnel: 305 / 710 (overload)
- Vehicle deck capacity: 6 x Challenger 2 tanks or 30 x Bv 206 armoured all-terrain tracked carriers.
- Docking capacity: 4 x Landing Craft Utility (LCU) (each capable of carrying 1 x Challenger 2), 4 x Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) under davits, can operate Griffon Hovercraft
- Helicopters: Two-spot 64 metre flight deck operating helicopters up to size of Chinook.