The Royal Navy has announced plans to retire its two Albion-class landing platform docks (LPDs) as a cost-saving measure. HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark have only been operated since the 1990s, and both are currently in the reserve fleet. Though there have been calls for the warships to be upgraded, the UK's senior service has sought to dispose of the vessels due to the costs.

However, London has also reportedly been exploring options to sell at least one of the two to another nation.

"Both ships require costly and time-consuming refits, and as such, were not considered a cost-effective use of taxpayers' money," Maria Eagle, minister of state for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Conservative MP James Cartlidge earlier this week. "The Royal Navy is exploring options to sell both HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark in a government-to-government sale."

The sale could not only save £9 million ($11 million) "annually in maintenance costs," but would provide the Royal Navy with "additional revenue generated from the disposal. The vessels, it is claimed, had effectively been retired by the previous government," UK Defence Journal reported.

Condition is Debated

Eagle's statement that the Conservative government, which was voted out of power in last summer's general election, was backed by Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, who added, "The previous administration had no plans for either HMS Albion or HMS Bulwark to return to sea ahead of their leaving service in the 2030s, therefore there has been no reduction in capability. The Bay Class are highly capable ships and, alongside RFA Argus, will continue to support Royal Marine operations until the introduction of Multi-Role Support Ships in the early 2030s."

Critics have questioned the logic of prematurely disposing of the vessels.

Naval-Technology also disputed the claims made by Eagle and Pollard, writing on Wednesday, "This is incorrect, as both vessels were being kept in a condition known as 'extended readiness', able to be worked up into service as required, effectively in reserve. Many countries, including the United States, maintain a reserve fleet able to be brought into service within various timeframes, to accommodate operational necessities such as the outbreak of major conflicts or war."

Albion-class Details

According to the Royal Navy, the role of the Albion class is to "transport large numbers of troops, vehicles and equipment and land them ashore using … on-board craft." Each is operated by a crew of 325 sailors, but can carry upwards of 405 additional personnel, along with "31 trucks, 36 smaller vehicles, and even main battle tanks."

The warships lack the large flight deck of the United States Navy's amphibious assault ships, and thus can't operate with fixed-wing aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, but the shorter flight deck can carry two Merlin or Sea King helicopters as well as two CH-47 Chinook heavy-helicopters.

The Royal Navy will see HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark replaced by the Bay-class. Currently, three of the helicopter landing ships are in service, while a fourth is undergoing a scheduled refit.

Brazil Bound

There has been much speculation that one or both of the vessels could be bound for South America, specifically Brazil. Neither the Royal Navy nor the MoD confirmed that such a sale was imminent, but the UK has a history of selling its former warships, including to Brazil.

In 2018, London sold the former helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to Brasília in a deal valued at £84 million ($103 million). It had been in service for fewer than two decades and had only completed a refit just four years earlier.

Recommissioned as the NAM Atlântico (A140), she is the current flagship of the Brazilian Navy—having replaced the French-built aircraft carrier São Paulo (ex-Foch), which was also decommissioned in 2018. While plans had been for the former aircraft carrier to be scrapped in Turkey, due to environmental concerns, it was scuttled in the South Atlantic nearly two years.

In addition to the NAM Atlântico, the Brazilian Navy currently operates the former HMS Battleaxe, a Type 22 frigate that was purchased in 1997 and renamed NAM Rademaker.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

Image: Wikimedia Commons.