The Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Albion, returned to sea today as she prepares to join up with Royal Marines and NATO.
The amphibious assault ship set sail from HMNB Devonport this lunchtime for trials and training as shes prepares for Exercise Cold Response 20 - NATO’s biggest winter exercise - in the frozen Arctic.
Royal Marines from 45 Commando and 47 Commando Raiding Group have been out in Norway for the past few weeks acclimatising to temperatures as low as -30c and conducting Arctic survival training in advance of the exercises.
The Royal Navy dubs HMS Albion its ‘Swiss Army knife’ due to the 19,560 tonne ship's versatility - but her main role is to deliver the punch of the Royal Marines ashore by air and sea.
The RN says: "This amphibious transport dock is capable of carrying 400 sailors and Royal Marines with a huge range of skills and experience, from technicians and engineers to medics and chefs.
"The loading dock of HMS Albion is packed with the trucks, machinery and water craft her crew use to carry out their duties. The ship also carries emergency supplies for use in disaster relief operations, from food supplies to water pumps."
"The loading dock of HMS Albion is packed with the trucks, machinery and water craft her crew use to carry out their duties. The ship also carries emergency supplies for use in disaster relief operations, from food supplies to water pumps."
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| HMS Albion in Plymouth Sound (Image: Royal Navy)
HMS Albion's sister ship HMS Bulwark has effectively been mothballed at HMNB Devonport since December 2016, after the 2010 Strategic Defence Security Review concluded one of its two Albion -class LPDs should be 'Extended Readiness' - saving the MoD millions in running costs.
Both warships spent Christmas alongside at HMNB Devonport.
Albion is the UK's 'High Readiness Amphibious Assault Ship' and had reportedly been placed on a six-hour notice to scramble and set sail for the Gulf, after Iran attacked military bases where British Armed Forces are stationed.
Parliament's Royal Marines 'champion', Plymouth MP Luke Pollard, recently sought fresh assurances about the two warships designed carry the elite Green Beret commandos into battle.
Former Defence Secretary Lord Hutton had warned the House of Lords that withdrawing Plymouth based amphibious assault ships HMS Bulwark and the current Royal Navy flagship HMS Albion and would ‘end British amphibious capability’.
In 2018, then Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said he was "happy to announce that I am protecting... vital landing platforms HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark,” after fears they were facing the scrapyard to save cash.
The Royal Navy has previously said Bulwark will remain in 'Extended Readiness' until 2021 , when she will begin 'Upkeep' - and is expected emerge from refit in 2023.
Earlier this month, Conservative MP Andrew Bowie told the House of Commons that the " Royal Navy was nearly stripped of its amphibious assault capability" when he warned parliament that the Royal Navy does not have enough ships to protect its £6.2bn aircraft carriers- HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales
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