HMS Bulwark (L15)

HMS Bulwark
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Bulwark
Ordered:	18 July 1996
Builder:	BAE Systems Marine, Barrow-in-Furness, England
Laid down:	27 January 2000
Launched:	15 November 2001
Sponsored by:	Lady Walker
Commissioned:	28 April 2005
Refit:	2010–2011
Homeport:	HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Identification:	Pennant L15
Motto:	"Under thy wings I will trust"
Status:	in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Albion-class amphibious transport dock
Displacement:	19,560 t (19,250 long tons; 21,560 short tons)
Length:	176 m (577 ft 5 in)
Beam:	28.9 m (94 ft 10 in)
Draught:	7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)
Propulsion:	2 × Wärtsilä Vasa 16V 32E diesel generators 2 × Wärtsilä Vasa 4R 32E diesel generators 2 × electric motors Bow thruster
Speed:	18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Range:	8,000 miles (7,000 nmi; 13,000 km)
Boats & landing craft carried:	4 × LCU MK10 4 × LCVP MK5
Capacity:	67 vehicles
Troops:	405 Royal Marines (710 overload)[1][2]
Crew:	325
Sensors and processing systems:	2 × Type 1007/8 I-band radars 1 × Type 996 E/F band radar 1 × Type 997 E/F-band radar (from 2016)
Armament:	2 × Goalkeeper CIWS 2 × 30 mm guns 4 × general purpose machine guns
Aviation facilities:	Two landing spots for helicopters up to the size of a Chinook.

Migrant rescue duty in the Mediterranean Sea, August 2014

Escorted by the French frigate Courbet and German frigate Schleswig-Holstein during IMCMEX14 in the Persian Gulf

HMS Bulwark is the second ship of the Royal Navy's Albion-class assault ships. She is one of the United Kingdom's two newest amphibious transport docks designed to put Royal Marines ashore by air and by sea.

Although launched in 2001, delays caused the delivery date to be put back, and the ship entered service In 28 April 2005. Together with Albion, Ocean, and other amphibious ships, she provides a larger and more effective amphibious capability than the previous Fearless-class vessels. Between October 2011 and June 2015 she was the fleet flagship of the Royal Navy.^[3][4] The ship is designed to send large numbers of troops and vehicles to shore as quickly as possible. Bulwark supports a permanently embarked Royal Marines landing craft unit, 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines.^[5] The rear of Bulwark opens and floods a compartment, allowing the boats inside to be launched. The 64 metre flight deck is able to take two Sea King HC4 or Merlin medium-lift helicopters and stow a third. The deck can also support two Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, one down the side of the flight deck and one at the rear of the flight deck. Although the Albion design does not have a hangar, the ship has sufficient equipment to support helicopter operations.

Bulwark was launched at the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, on 15 November 2001. She is, to date, the most recent surface vessel to have been constructed at Barrow with the yard currently specialising in submarine construction.

Operational history

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. 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 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.^[6] On 20 July, she evacuated approximately 1,300 people from Beirut in the biggest British evacuation.^[7] On completion of her extended deployment the ship returned to the United Kingdom. At the start of June 2007 Bulwark was berthed at Sunderland on the River Wear.^[8]

In October 2008, Bulwark was at the Tail of the Bank in the Firth of Clyde together with the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the French amphibious ship Tonnerre, taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior 2008.^[9]

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 was joined by Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) Ocean, Type 23 frigates Argyll and Somerset and four ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.^[10]

In May 2010, she entered a dry-dock at HMNB Devonport to refit,^[11] eventually rejoining the fleet in March 2011,^[12] and then took over as fleet flagship from her sister ship Albion in October 2011.^[13] She made a five-day visit to London on 16 March 2011.^[14]

Bulwark undertook Operational Sea Training at the end of June 2011 in preparation to take up the role of fleet flagship of the Royal Navy.^[15] Bulwark was on standby as leading ship of the UK's recently formed Response Force Task Group. In October she participated in Exercise Joint Warrior in Loch Eriboll, the largest war games staged in the UK, involving the French Marines and other NATO forces.^[16]

On 15 February 2012, Bulwark made an unscheduled stop in Kiel, Germany, after ice on the Elbe river prevented her from entering the city of Hamburg as originally planned.^[17] At the end of February, Bulwark visited the Polish port of Gdynia, carrying out exercises with two Polish frigates, ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski and ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko. She also hosted onboard over 4,000 people from the city.^[17] The vessel had entered the Baltic Sea to prepare for Exercise 'Cold Response', a NATO winter war games exercise due to take place in northern Norway in March 2012.^[18]

In April 2012, she also took part in Exercise 'Joint Warrior' with several other British and foreign vessels including the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious off the coast of Scotland.^[19] She was part of the COUGAR 13 task group, with the Commander UK Task Group and his staff embarked on board.^[20] She was visited by the Commander of Naval Striking and Support Forces at NATO.^[21]

At the end of May 2014, Bulwark visited Greenwich in London, where the public were able to visit the ship for tours conducted by the crew, and she also took part in celebrations marking the 350th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Marines.^[22]

In late 2014 Bulwark was deployed for the COUGAR 14 Response Force Task Group annual exercise and the International Mine Counter Measures Exercise (IMCMEX).^[23][24]

Between April and July 2015 Bulwark was allocated to Operation Weald, the upgraded search and rescue operation off the Italian coast for migrants crossing from Libya. She was assisted by three Merlin HM.2 helicopters from 814 Naval Air Squadron.^[25] Bulwark recovered over 2,900 migrants from the sea during the operation.^[26]

Bulwark assisted in providing security for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Malta in November 2015.^[27] This duty was completed in December 2015.^[28]

Bulwark is due to be withdrawn from her current role and enter extended readiness in 2016 when she will switch roles with her sister ship Albion.^[29]

In the media

Bulwark is the featured ship in the second series of Warship originally shown on television channel Five in the UK. The season followed her during the Taurus 09 deployment.^[30]

Captains

• 2004–2005: Captain Jeremy Stanford RN
• 2005–2006: Captain Clive Johnstone RN
• 2006–2008: Captain Jeremy Blunden RN
• 2008–2009: Captain Wayne Keble RN
• 2009–2010: Captain Gavin Pritchard RN
• 2010–2012: Captain Alexander Burton RN
• 2012–2013: Captain Andrew Burns RN
• 2014–2015: Captain Dean Bassett RN
• 2015: Captain Nick Cooke-Priest RN
• 2015- tbc: Captain James Parkin RN

Affiliations

HMS Bulwark supports the following affiliations:^[31]

• County Durham
• Royal Irish Regiment
• Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers
• HMS Bulwark Association
• RAF Odiham
• St. Aloysius' College Scout Group
• Bishop of Durham
• Forest of Teesdale Primary School, Durham
• Trinity School, Durham^[32]
• Monkton Combe School Combined Cadet Force
• Training Ship Adventure, Bristol Sea Cadet Corps
• Training Ship Rhyl, Sea Cadet Corps
• Giggleswick School Combined Cadet Force
• Bishop Auckland Hospital
• Bidwell Brook School

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Bulwark (L15).

• Royal Navy HMS Bulwark (royalnavy.mod.uk)

Commissioned ships of the Royal Navy
Submarines	Vanguard class Vanguard Victorious Vigilant Vengeance Trafalgar class Torbay Trenchant Talent Triumph Astute class Astute Ambush Artful
Destroyers	Type 45 Daring Dauntless Diamond Dragon Defender Duncan
Frigates	Type 23 Argyll Lancaster Iron Duke Monmouth Montrose Westminster Northumberland Richmond Somerset Sutherland Kent Portland St Albans
Amphibious warfare ships	Albion-class LPD Albion Bulwark Ocean-class LPH Ocean
Mine counter measures vessels	Sandown class Penzance Pembroke Grimsby Bangor Ramsey Blyth Shoreham Hunt class Ledbury Cattistock Brocklesby Middleton Chiddingfold Atherstone Hurworth Quorn
Patrol vessels	Ice patrol vessel Protector River class Mersey Severn Tyne Clyde Archer class Archer Biter Smiter Blazer Puncher Charger Ranger Trumpeter Express Example Explorer Exploit Tracker Raider Pursuer Dasher Scimitar class Scimitar Sabre
Survey vessels	Ocean survey vessel Scott Echo class Echo Enterprise Survey launch Gleaner
Miscellaneous vessels	Type 82 Bristol (static training vessel) Ship of the line Victory (flagship of the First Sea Lord)