HMS Bulwark (L15)

HMS Bulwark is the second ship of the Albion-class assault ships and the flagship of the Royal Navy. 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 entering service in December 2004. Together with Albion, Ocean, and other amphibious ships, she provides a larger and more effective amphibious capability than the previous Fearless-class vessels. In October 2011 she became the flagship of the Royal Navy. 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. The rear of the 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 AW101 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. Though the Albion design does not have a hangar, the ship has sufficient equipment to support helicopter operations.

HMS Bulwark was launched at the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, on 15 November 2001.

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. 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 Bulwark was berthed at Sunderland on the River Wear.

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

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.

In Spring 2010 she entered a six-month refit at HMNB Devonport No. 8 dock.

In March 2011 she rejoined the fleet and then took over as Fleet Flagship from her sister ship Albion in October 2011. She made a five-day visit to London on 16 March 2011.

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. Bulwark is 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.

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. The vessel 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.

At the end of February 2012, 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 4000 people from the city.

She also took part in Exercise 'Joint Warrior' with several other British and foreign vessels including HMS Illustrious off the coast of Scotland. She will be part of the COUGAR 13 task group, with the Commander UK Task Group and his staff embarked onboard. She was visited by the Commander of Naval Striking and Support Forces at NATO.

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

In the media
Bulwark is the feature ship in the second season of Warship originally shown on television channel Five in the UK. The season followed her during the Taurus 09 deployment.

Commanding officers

 * 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–Present: Captain Andrew Burns RN

Affiliations

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