There have been seven Bulwark's of the Royal Navy, ranging from an incomplete ship, to the current LPD (Landing Platform Dock Ship), each serving her nation faithfully and boldly,through peace and war. Her motto is "Under Thy Wings I Will Trust".

HMS Bulwark (Incomplete)

Construction of the first Bulwark began in 1780, but the keel was never laid down, and the order was subsequently cancelled.

HMS Bulwark (1807-1826)

The second HMS Bulwark was a 74-gun frigate that took part in the blockade of Rochefort in 1813 and fought in the British-American War in 1814-15. She was broken up in 1826.

HMS Bulwark (Incomplete)

The third Bulwark was intended to be a screwship. Bulwark was laid down at Chatham on 8th March 1859, but construction was suspended in the same month. She was finally broken up in 1872.

HMS Bulwark (1860-1919)

The fourth HMS Bulwark was a wooden 121-gun ship-of-the-line launched on 7th March 1860 at Pembroke. She was soon made obsolete by the launching of the iron-hulled battleship HMS Warrior. After initial sea trials lasting into 1861, she was never completed for full active duty. She became part of a training establishment for boys, finally being paid off in 1919.

HMS Bulwark (1899-1914)

The fifth HMS Bulwark was a London Class battleship launched in 1899. She had an armament of 4 x 12-inch guns in pairs, sixteen x 12 pounder guns and four torpedo tubes. Her length was approximately 400 feet. She had a displacement of 15,000 tonnes and a crew of 750. In 1908 she was commanded by the youngest junior battleship Captain at that time, none other than the legendary Captain Robert F Scott of Antarctic fame. The same year she was allocated to the Channel Fleet, before being transferred to the Home Fleet and then consigned to the Reserve in 1910. In 1912, she was recommissioned to the 5th Battle Squadron and from the outbreak of war in 1914 carried out numerous patrols in the English Channel. Sadly on 26th November 1914, while loading ammunition at Sheerness she was ripped apart by an incredibly violent and powerful internal explosion. Out of her complement of 750, just 12 sailors survived.

HMS Bulwark (1948-1981)

The sixth HMS Bulwark (RO8) was a 22,000 tonne Hermes Class Light Fleet Carrier, launched in 1948. She was not commissioned until 1954 , but once underway, demonstrated the ship and it's crew's dedication to duty. In 1956 she took part in her first operation, during the Suez Crisis, she launched up to 600 sorties in what was then known as Operation Musketeer. In 1958 she assisted two tankers who had collided in the Persian Gulf. She towed one of the tankers, Melika, to Muscat, winning an award for this, namely the Boyd Trophy.


In 1958 she paid off at Portsmouth for conversion into a commando carrier. Her sister-ship Albion would not do so till 1961. In 1960, HMS Bulwark was recommissioned with 42 Commando, Royal Marine and 848 Squadron attached to the carrier. In 1961, due to an increasing threat of invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, Bulwark landed 42 Commando in Kuwait. In the same year, she became the first Royal Navy warship since WWII to commission outside the UK, commissioning instead in Singapore. She also took part in the campaign against Indonesia, during the Indonesian Confrontation.In 1967 she again commisioned in Singapore Naval Dockyard,(HMS Terror),and following her work up, proceeded to Aden to cover the withdrawal and relieve HMS Eagle,spending three months at sea off the coast of Aden and embarking a detachment of the Argyll and Southerland Highlanders.These were disembarked in Plymouth following a visit to Cape Town.A period of dry docking took place in Portsmouth followed by service in the Arctic with 45 commando embarked for exercise Polar Express.Excercises were carried out around the Mediteranian with various allied Navies, with visits to southern France,Italy and Cyprus. Following these exercises she returned to Plymouth RND for de-commissioning in 1969. In 1972, Bulwark, like her sister-ship HMS Albion, was involved in withdrawals across the declining empire. In 1972 she was HQ ship for Operation Exit, the withdrawal from Malta, an emotional withdraw for the Royal Navy.

In 1976 she was withdrawn from service and placed in Reserve. In 1979 she was recommissioned as an anti-submarine warfare carrier, earning her the nickname 'The Rusty B******', originating from her motto "Under Thy Wings I Will (T)rust". In 1980 just a year into her new commission, a major fire badly damaged the forward hangar and numerous mess decks. In March 1981 she returned to Portmouth for the last time. In April of that year she was put on the disposal list and scrapped the same month.

HMS Bulwark (2004-present)

HMS Bulwark is the sister-ship, once again, of HMS Albion and is one of the Albion Class LPDs. For numerous reasons, delays have caused the delivery date to be put back to 2004. She certainly should be worth the longer than expected wait, for coupled with Albion and Ocean, as well as other amphibious ships, she should provide a much improved and potent amphibious capability for the Royal Navy.

Albion Class Statistics

  • Displacement: 18,500 tonnes
  • Length: 176 metres
  • Draught: 7.1 metres
  • Beam: 25.6 metres waterline, 28.9 metres maximum
  • Speed: 18 knots, range of 7000 nautical miles
  • Complement: 325
  • Armament:
    • 2 x Goalkeeper Close In Weapon System (CIWS), Seagnat Decoy System
    • UAT Electronic Warfare System, 2 x 20mm close range guns
    • 4 x Machine Gun positions
  • Propulsion: 2 x 6.25MW & 2 x 1.56MW diesel generators operating at 6.6KV driving two AC motors through twin shafts and a bowthrust unit. RN's first integrated Full Electric propulsion ships.
  • Military Lift:
    • 305 troops, with a surge capability of an extra 405.
    • Up to six Challenger 2 Tanks or 30 armoured all-terrain vehicles.
    • Four utility landing craft, with each having the capability to carry a tank, or shelter a hovercraft landing craft.
    • Four small landing craft on davits, each capable of transporting 35 troops.

Two-spot 64 metre flight deck is able to take two medium support helicopters and stow a third. The deck is also capable of supporting a Chinook helicopter. Though the Albion design does not have a hangar, the ship does have sufficient equipment to support helicopter operations.

Affiliations