The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that HMS Albion is being retained at Devonport to support preparations for the sale of HMS Bulwark to Brazil, while stating that no disposal plans have yet been confirmed for Albion itself.
Responding to a written parliamentary question from Conservative MP James Cartlidge, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said HMS Albion is currently moored at HMNB Devonport and is being kept in service to support the generation of HMS Bulwark ahead of its transfer.
Pollard stated: “HMS ALBION is currently moored at HMNB Devonport and is being retained to support the generation of HMS BULWARK prior to her sale to Brazil. No plans for HMS ALBION’s disposal have been confirmed.”
In a separate parliamentary answer, Pollard also disclosed that the annual maintenance cost for HMS Albion is around £2 million per year. He said this expenditure is required to ensure the ship remains safe while alongside at Devonport and remains compliant with environmental and safety legislation until disposal is complete.
He added: “The annual maintenance cost for HMS ALBION is circa £2 million per annum. This expenditure is to ensure that the ship remains safe whilst alongside HMNB Devonport on a tidal mooring. This ensures the ship remains compliant with environmental and safety legislation until disposal is complete.”
Both answers also included a statement that HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark had been tied up under the previous government, with no intention to return them to sea before their out of service dates in the 2030s.
While the comment appears intended to provide context around the ships’ recent status, it remains unclear why this point was highlighted in response to questions focused on current disposal plans, given that the decisions on sale and retention now rest with the present government. This is not a judgement on the policy itself, but it does suggest ministers are seeking to frame the current position as a continuation of an existing trajectory.
“They started It, not us” lol.
Both tied up next to each other at Devonport right now. Albion looking tired and worn out, Bulwark freshly painted.
Just an excuse to justify selling them. If Brazil can still get use from Bulwark so should we – it’s a bad loss of capoability, they should both be put back into service instead of being allowed to rot or sold.
Are you going to sail it? Because the navy doesnt have the crew.
Which is a disgrace… lack of people to crew the things should not be an issue! We need to make the armed services more attractive as a career, and where we still can’t get people to serve perhaps we should spread recruitment a bit wider, perhaps to the Commonwealth.
Recruitment is already available in the Commonwealth. There are not too many seafaring Zimbabweans, though. They do have a recruitment issue, which is down to the long deployments, although not much of an issue at present, with most of the fleet either in bits or tied up to save money.
“with no intention to return them to sea before their out of service dates in the 2030s.”
Yet one was being regenerated and had just had a refit I recall?
I remember the wording from this government at the time.
“The ships will never put to sea again.”
Now, happily used by Brazil. Rather than blaming previous, why not OWN your own actions?
We couldnt staff the LPDs anytime soon while we were introducing the new frigates, so yes, wouldve been years.
Oh, in that case, they may as well bin 5,500 Royal Marines, as we are not too used to jumping out of planes, you see. No use having seaborne infantry when theres nothing to carry them in and support them from, is there?
Are you ignoring the Bays? No they’re not as capable but they exist.
So Albion is basically being stripped and will soon be worthless to both the RN and even lower-calibre potential buyers.
Dunno. I wonder, in light of the likely scrapping of Argus, whether they are considering retaining Albion. Is it possible to give her a refit / makeover which simplifies her workings and reduces her crewing requirement and running costs. MRSS Mk1. Just asking.
Extremely unlikely. Argus crew has gone elsewhere anyway.
Like your thinking Paul. But monies, priorities are likely elsewhere. Might cost a motza too. I read that UK unemployment is up so there could be a large pool of potential recruits there.
Just one last desperate throw of the dice Quentin. Pity not to find a use for a relatively young hull. The increase in unemployment looks to be related to small businesses being reluctant to hire young people. Youth unemployment has been on an upward trend for several years and the govt’s loading of extra costs on small businesses has caused many to pause hiring decisions. Graduates are also finding it harder to get a job. A degree is no longer the passport to a well paid, secure ‘white collar’ job. I see what the govt are trying to do. By increasing the size of the apprenticeships route to employment you create a larger better skilled and more resilient economy and workforce but training an electrician, a plumber or a motor technician takes a lot longer than training a Costa coffee barista or a waiter.
Yes, strange they found £200 million to give to Ukraine!
But the unemployed are White British nationals, so they can’t be brought into the RN without upsetting their much vaunted diversity percentages… Hell, an image they put out on social media which had them pose in front of multicoloured flag and per my drinking buddy in that photo, everyone in that photo wasn’t participating in that flag’s meaning.
It’s all performative, but the moment they stop performing, they realise they’ve made things worse for what, a bar chart, some percentages?
Is this mealy mouthed shite from the Government meaning that Albion is being used as spares for Bulwark to sail!
Yes, but other reports seem to use different words In their Headlines.
Of course there is no problem here because RFA Argus has filled the void left by loosing the LPDs and all this underlines our increased commitment to the defence of the high north, which is one of our key defence priorities.
And on the 4th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UK is STILL cutting our armed forces (all of them) whilst spouting platitudes about the urgent need to raise defence spending to get the UK on to a war preparedness footing, as if endless talking about it gets the job done. But apparently Rachel says no, so that’s ok then.
Laborites and TDS victims think this government is amazing,Preparing us for war🤣🤣
WE WILL HOLD THE HIGH NORTH. Or something.
So… “HMS ALBION is currently moored at HMNB Devonport and is being retained to support the generation of HMS BULWARK prior to her sale to Brazil. No plans for HMS ALBION’s disposal have been confirmed.”
Is that political code for…
HMS Albion has been tied up to the Marinha do Brasil Bulwark, so that parts for ‘spares and repairs’ can be stripped out of HMS Albion, in order to facilitate the successful give away… oops soz sale of the former HMS Bulwark.
What exactly did you think we were going to sell it for then?
Huh?
You’re annoyed with the price we sold it for, do you really think they’d pay more for it.
It was sarcasm dear fellow… giving away two ships for little or nothing. The why… because we have nobody to crew them, and since they have been sitting idle, the bean-counters record them as little value other than scrap metal.
I was more arguing the value of any second hand warship is incredibly low because it’s not nessecarily what the other country wants, and is old and has issues.