The future of the Royal Navy's amphibious assault ships HMS Fort And a warship Albion It remains uncertain, amid reports that the ships could be axed as the service struggles with manpower and staffing issues.
Recent media reports stated that both were the case AlbionFirst-class amphibious assault ships – technically classified as landing platforms (LPDs) – could face the seal in order to alleviate personnel difficulties for the Royal Navy. Capable of accommodating hundreds of soldiers or Royal Marines, the ships can launch and recover amphibious attacks from a spacious aft well deck and two-point helicopter deck.
However, senior UK government officials were unable to provide any clarification regarding the fate Albion category when queried in the House of Commons on 8 January 2024, providing the potential for ships to be taken out of service years ahead of schedule.
The House also heard that the number of people to replace sailors leaving the Royal Navy fell by 22.1% in the year to 22 March 2023.
Defense Procurement Minister James Cartledge stated that “no final decision has been made” on HMS Albion And a warship FortAcknowledging the existence of “recruitment challenges.”
In fact, no decision has been made about keeping him Albion And Fort It suggests that discussions regarding their future have taken place, with the retirement of these specific-role ships likely to leave a significant gap in the UK's ability to project naval power. This uncertainty is in marked contrast to a comment made in late 2023 regarding the future of the class.
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This was stated by James Hebbey, Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, in a written parliamentary response to HMS Fort She was “undergoing scheduled maintenance”, after which she would move into refit to replace HMS Albionwhich will enter the expanded readiness phase later in 2023.
“Until the operational return of AlbionThrough its Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ships, the Royal Navy will continue to operate a credible LPD capability through its ships. bay“Landing Ship (Auxiliary) Dock (LSD(A) Class I),” Hebe said.
“The LPD and LSD(A) platforms have interchangeable functions; each complements the other and together forms our core amphibious delivery capability. To enable the continued forward presence of Littoral Response Groups (LRGs) in the coming years, both ship classes will be deployed in deployed groups,” added Hebe. coastal response around their respective replenishment cycles.”
Given these comments, any removal of Albion The class of service could impact the Royal Navy's ability to maintain a forward amphibious presence.
An earlier written parliamentary response from UK defense officials stated the extended readiness period for HMS Albion It will last for “approximately six years”, which is in line with the UK MoD's position of having one LPD in operational readiness.
In September last year, Cartledge stated that, according to current plans, H.M.S Albion And a warship Fort He will retire from service at the end of 2034.
“Live…isn't it nice to have?”
Built at BAE Systems' naval shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, HMS Albion And a warship Fort It entered service in 2003 and 2004, respectively. The capabilities of AlbionThe class's LPDs include the ability to field 300 assault troops, up to 650 short-duration troops, or Challenger 2 main battle tanks and other armored vehicles.
In addition, eight landing craft (a mixture of LCU Mk 10 and LCVP Mk 5) can be boarded within the well deck, which are then able to carry troops, armored vehicles or equipment from the ship to the bridgehead, a crucial capability known as a conductor from Ship to shore.
However, the ships are also crew-heavy, with a ready-to-service platform requiring more than 300 crew to operate the vessel. A ship that remains on extended standby typically requires a few rotating crew members, but both have recently been brought into service Queen ElizabethThe first-class aircraft carriers and their crews of 700 proved to be a strain on the Royal Navy's personnel numbers.
should for Albion The layer is turned off, all three are expected bay-Class LPDs and, to a lesser extent, Queen ElizabethThe first-class aircraft carriers will form the key elements of the Royal Navy's amphibious assault capability. However, bay The class, while capable of assistance, is well below the Navy standards required to serve as a command and control platform for an amphibious task force, as well as being capable of extremely low payload.
the Queen ElizabethFirst-class aircraft carriers do not have a deck, unlike the US Navy AmericaThe vessels are of first class and are therefore unable to operate LCUs which act as ship-to-shore marine conductors. Instead, this class will deliver troops – but no armor – via medium and heavy rotary lift.
Such tactics also require carriers to operate close to shore, within range of potential missile threats. the Queen Elizabeth The carriers are lightly armed, with few battalion corps close to the weapons systems and no surface-to-air missile capability to defend the ships.
In written evidence submitted by retired Royal Navy Commodore Michael Clapp and Admiral Jeremy Larkin to the UK Parliament in 2017, on previous considerations regarding the decommissioning of ships Fort And Albionformer serving officers stated that they “deleted” the Albion Class ability to benefit from bay And Queen Elizabeth These categories “would seriously degrade” the UK’s amphibious warfare capability and increase operational risks.
“We believe it is a vital operational capability for the UK Armed Forces, not just a nice-to-have,” Clapp and Larkin wrote at the time. “We would also like to point out that this is a capability that is global in scope, and does not rely on ports, airports or overflight rights.”
