Construction of the first Bulwark began in 1780, but the keel was never laid down, and the order was subsequently cancelled.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
HMS Bulwark (Incomplete)
HMS Bulwark (1807-1826)
HMS Bulwark (Incomplete)
HMS Bulwark (1860-1919)
HMS Bulwark (1899-1914)
HMS Bulwark (1948-1981)
In 1976 she was withdrawn from service and placed in Reserve.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 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
HMS Bulwark (2004-present)
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