"Difficult to justify", "Could bite Britain": Experts debate Royal Navy's HMS Albion and Bulwark Brazil sale

Talks to flog HMS Albion and Bulwark to South America have reached have reached advanced stages. Both Albion-class Landing Platform Docks were officially retired by defence secretary John Healey in November last year, as they were deemed too uneconomical to repair.

Various new ships - Type 26 and 31 frigates, as well as Multi Role Strike Ships - are being constructed to bolster the Royal Navy fleet, but they are years away from being ready. The Council on Geostrategy asked experts to give their thoughts on the sale of both ships. They debate whether sacrificing current capabilities is worth it for more modernised assets in the future.

Charlotte Kleberg, an associate fellow at the Council on Geostrategy and Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, believes modernised militaries using advanced technologies need to be combined with conventional platforms and weaponry. She added that it’s a “major concern” that both Albion-class vessels are being ditched without appropriate capability replacements given the current geopolitical climate - highlighting a wider problem in defence planning.

“It is difficult to justify disposing of such ‘modern’ tonnage in the current climate – recently, HMS Bulwark was docked and halfway through modernisation. Unused, the ships still signal capacity; selling them now sends the wrong message, saves little and undermines credibility. Taxpayers may very well question the rationale behind this decision.”

Former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe OBE said the treasury-led approach often means military assets are sold too early. HMS Albion and Bulwark both had lifespans into the 2030s, with £132.7m being spent on refitting both ships since 2010. A further HMS Bulwark refit - scheduled between 2022 and 2025 - was estimated to cost £72.1m, with an evaluation being reviewed due to the ship being retired before the work is completed.

Cdr Sharpe said: “At some point in the next ten years, the UK is going to wish that it had one of these ships still in mothball. To stop this issue happening again (and again), the process, culture and mindset all need to change, as does the number in the bottom right corner of the spreadsheet which causes so many of the problems in the first place.”

William Freer, National Security Research Fellow for the Council on Geostrategy, added: “The decision regarding the sale of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark is symbolic of the fact that for many years now, Britain has given more weight to squeezing efficiency out of current capabilities to find savings now for investing in future capabilities. For the sake of a few million pounds a year – a miniscule fraction of the defence budget – both ships could be kept in reserve.”

Dr David Blagden, Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Exeter, said selling current capabilities to focus on modernising the fleet could “still bite Britain in the behind”. He added: “Beyond the obvious, such as disaster relief and maritime security, such vessels – if modestly upgraded – could have served as useful ‘assault cruisers’, combining amphibious capability with broader utility.”

Dr Emma Salisbury, Sea Power Research Fellow for the Council on Geostrategy, said the core of defence planning is to bring in new assets while phasing out those being replaced. She added: “Ultimately, investing in future capabilities is the goal, and making some sacrifices now to reach that end is necessary in the current context.”

Officials and politicians at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have always defended the decision to retire and sell both ships. In her latest statement about the sale, defence procurement minister Maria Eagle said: “HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark are currently laid up awaiting disposal.

“Both ships require costly and time-consuming refits, and as such, were not considered a cost-effective use of taxpayers' money. The Royal Navy is exploring options to sell both HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark in a government-to-government sale.

“These vessels had, in effect, been retired by the previous Government. Their sale will save £9M a year in maintenance costs in addition to the receipt from the sale, unlocking as much funding as possible to invest in modernisation, as well as reinforcing relationships with international partners.”

Lieutenant General Sir Robert Magowan KCB CBE previously said a defence select committee meeting last year: “In terms of the six retirements, the secretary of state outlined to the house the implications of that. Three of those involved vessels that were no longer seaworthy, so we were spending money against capabilities that were never going to be used operationally. There was a pretty strong case with regards to those three classes of ship.”