| It's been a lively year for the
Navy’s assault ship HMS Albion since being handed into
the welcoming arms of the Fleet.
After a summer of trials, the hard work was completed with
the celebration of the Fleet Assembly at Devonport to mark
the presentation of new Colours to the Fleet by the Queen
in 2003.
Following a short run to Rotterdam the ship docked down for
an intense work package to complete the last details and to
pick up on the minor defects which come as part of the new
ship package.
Back at sea a highlight of the early autumn was a successful
port visit to Liverpool to allow the warship’s first
visit to her affiliated city of Chester.
A taxing four-week period of operational sea training tested
both crew and ship capability, but the ship’s company
were unstinting in their efforts to achieve the most from
a tight programme.
Exercise Bold Vision off the Isle of Wight in early winter
last year saw the ship shine in her role as Command and Control
ship by embarking 150 members of the Amphibious and Royal
Marine battlestaffs for the first time.
The objectives were comfortably achieved, the ship’s
equipment proved sturdy, and Albion showed off her tremendous
potential.
Post-Christmas leave, Albion went in to a maintenance period
which saw a communications upgrade and other new systems brought
on board.
The depths of winter found Albion inside the Arctic Circle,
taking part in Exercise Joint Winter off the coast of Norway.
This saw Albion packed with extra bodies, with the Commodore
of the Amphibious Task Group, the Commander of 3 Commando
Brigade and their staffs adding up to a collective total of
over 650.
The ship and her equipment worked well – Albion was
put through her paces across the full spectrum of her capabilities
and delivered the right results.
It was a matter of pride on board when Albion was declared
at operational full readiness – fit for front-line duties
– less than one year after crewing up towards the end
of her build in Barrow – and at the same time the ship
became the Fleet Amphibious Flagship.
Her first operational deployment led her across the Atlantic
to Exercise Aurora 04 off America. In company with eight other
warships and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries, Albion worked as part
of a multi-nation coalition Task Force.
An interesting dimension was added by the embarkation of four
Challenger II Main Battle Tanks from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment,
which were successfully delivered to their beach by Albion's
landing craft – a capability not exercised in over 12
months.
Albion acts as the afloat command platform for the Royal Navy’s
Amphibious Task Force and Landing Force Commanders when embarked.
Also, she embarks, transports, deploys and recovers troops
with their equipment and vehicles which form part of an amphibious
assault force. The versatile ship is capable of embarking
256 staff or troops (with an additional 405 troops in overload)
and their associated vehicles and combat supplies.
Her vehicle deck can hold 31 large trucks and 36 smaller vehicles
and their trailers. Albion can also carry armoured vehicles,
including the 70-tonne Challenger II tank
.
Vehicles are off-loaded through the dock by the four Landing
Craft Utility carried in the ship. Personnel are off-loaded
from davits on the ship’s sides by four Landing Craft
Vehicle and Personnel.
The vessel also has a flight deck capable of operating two
helicopters at a time, with a third aircraft parked.
There have been eight Royal Navy ships by the name Albion,
the first a sailing ship of the line launched in 1763 which
was also the first of the ‘Albion’ class.
The next Albion was an ex-merchant sloop, bought for the Navy
in 1798. She was followed in 1802 by a Third Rate, that took
part in the 1812 War with America.
The sixth Albion was launched at Plymouth in 1842 and saw
action in the Crimean. The seventh ship to bear the name was
a Canopus-class battleship of 14,000 tons, launched in 1898
and had an active role in World War I bombarding Turkish positions
in the Dardanelles.
The last, a 22,000 tonne Centaur class light fleet carrier
had a foretaste of her future role when, in 1958, she embarked
42 Commando Royal Marines, together with vehicles and equipment,
for deployment to the Middle East.
Finally, there were also the Albion IIs – a trawler
and a paddle steamer – and the Albion III, a steam yacht
during World War I.
(Ship of the Month October 2004)
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