HMS Bulwark returns to Navy fleet

Royal Navy landing ship HMS Bulwark has completed repair work and is now back with the operation fleet.

It had been absent for 11 months, during which time it underwent maintenance checks and upgrades.

Commanding Officer Captain Alex Burton said: "Acceptance back into the fleet marks an important date for HMS Bulwark on her path towards regeneration and her future role as the fleet flagship in October this year."

The vessel is ready for any global tasks and the work was all completed on schedule, with Captain Burton noting there were complex challenges involved with the docking period.

It was kept on budget and it is the first time HMS Bulwark has been taken off duty since it was commissioned back in 2005.

Some 1,625 items of equipment were overhauled and 398 tonnes of goods were loaded on and off the ship during the 11-month period.

It is part of a new class of assault ships that were launched at the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness.

Posted by Mark Wilkins