View source for HMS Albion (R07)

{{Short description|1954 Centaur-class light fleet carrier of the Royal Navy}}
{{other ships|HMS Albion}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
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|Ship image=HMS Albion (R07) underway 1956.jpg
|Ship caption=HMS ''Albion'' in 1956
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''Albion''
|Ship builder=[[Swan Hunter]], [[Tyne and Wear]], [[United Kingdom]]
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|Ship laid down=22 March 1944
|Ship launched=16 May 1947
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|Ship commissioned=26 May 1954
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|Ship decommissioned=1973
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|Ship homeport=[[HMNB Portsmouth]]
|Ship identification= [[pennant number]]: R07
|Ship motto=''Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter'' ({{langx|la|Boldly, Faithfully, Successfully}})
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|Ship fate=Scrapped 1973
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|Ship class={{sclass|Centaur|aircraft carrier}}
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|Ship displacement=22,000 tons standard, 27,000 tons full load
|Ship length={{convert|737.75|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|123|ft|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship draught={{convert|27.8|ft|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship propulsion=Steam turbines, 4 boilers, 2 shafts
|Ship speed={{convert|28|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship range={{convert|6,000|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|20|kn|abbr=on}}
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|Ship complement=1596 (including air group)
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|Ship armament=2 sextuple Bofors [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] AA; 8 twin Bofors 40 mm; 4 single Bofors 40 mm; 4 single 3-pounder saluting guns
|Ship armour=1 to {{convert|2|in|mm|adj=on}} flight deck
|Ship aircraft=42 (decreased to 26 with jet fighters)
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'''HMS ''Albion'' (R07)''' was a 22,000-ton {{sclass|Centaur|aircraft carrier|0}} [[aircraft carrier|light fleet carrier]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. The ship was laid down in 1944 and launched in 1947 but did not enter service until 1954. She served in the Royal Navy into the early 1970s.

==Construction and modifications==
{{stack|[[File:French HUP landing on HMS Albion (R07) 1957.jpg|thumb|French [[Piasecki HUP]] lands on HMS Albion in 1957]]}}
She was built by [[Swan Hunter|Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd]]. Her [[keel]] was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 23 March 1944 and she was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 6 May 1947 by [[Violet Attlee]], wife of the British Prime Minister [[Clement Attlee]].<ref name="comp32">Hobbs 1996, p. 32.</ref><ref name="nn471">{{cite news|title=Ships of the Royal Navy: No. 185: How Albion gets the Results! |newspaper=[[Navy News]] |date=April 1971 |page=5 |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/images/navynews/archivepdfs/1970s/1971/navy-news-april-1971-issue-202.pdf |access-date=25 May 2020}}</ref> On 18 October 1949, she was under tow by [[tugboat|tugs]] {{ship|ST|Beamish||2}}, ''Hendon'' and ''George V'' from [[Jarrow]] to [[Rosyth]] when ''Albion'' collided with {{SS|Maystone}} {{convert|4|nmi|km}} from the [[Longstone Lighthouse]]. ''Maystone'' sank, ''Albion'' received a {{convert|225|sqft|m2|adj=on}} hole in her stern and started to sink. The three tugs attempted to beach her near [[St Abbs Head]] but were hampered when ''Hector'' became disabled when a tow rope wrapped around her propeller. The tug {{HMS|Restive}} was sent from Rosyth to assist and the [[destroyer]] {{HMS|St James|D65|6}} arrived and took ''Hector'' on tow until her crew managed to clear the propeller. ''Albion'' was successfully berthed at Rosyth with {{convert|5|ft|m}} of water in her engine room. She was scheduled for completion in 1951 but not fully completed until May 1954.<ref name=Ships>{{cite book | last1=Mitchell|first1=W.H.|last2=Sawyer|first2=L.A. | year = 1995| title = The Empire Ships| page = 209| publisher = Lloyd's of London Press Ltd| location = London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong|isbn=1-85044-275-4 }}</ref>  During the night of 19–20 June 1954, helicopters from ''Albion'' assisted in the search for survivors of a [[Swissair]] aircraft [[1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash|that had ditched]] in the [[English Channel]] off [[Folkestone]], [[Kent]].<ref name=Times210654>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Airliner Down In Sea |date=21 June 1954 |page=6 |issue=52963 |column=F}}</ref> After an initial work up with her air group, in September she joined the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] and in October became the flagship of Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hobbs |first1=David |title=British aircraft carriers : design, development and service histories |date=30 September 2014 |publisher=Seaforth |isbn=9781848321380 |page=244}}</ref>

==Operational history==
In 1956, after refitting at [[Portsmouth]], ''Albion'' returned once again to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] for operations relating to the [[Suez Crisis]], where her air group struck key Egyptian airfields, and covered the paratroopers' landings. In July 1958, ''Albion'' embarked [[42 Commando Royal Marines]], with all its vehicles and additional equipment, and transported the unit to the [[Middle East]].

Final fixed-wing complement as embarked in 1959–60:
*806 sqn. 8 [[Hawker Sea Hawk|Sea Hawk]] FGA6 Fighter-Attack
*894 sqn. 12 [[de Havilland Sea Venom|Sea Venom]] FAW21 Night/All Weather Fighter
*849 sqn. D flt. 4 [[A-1 Skyraider|Skyraider]] AEW1 Airborne Early Warning
*815 sqn. 8 [[Westland Whirlwind (helicopter)|Whirlwind]] HAS7 Helicopter Anti-Submarine Warfare
*Ships Flight 1 [[Westland Dragonfly|Dragonfly]] HR5 Helicopter Search and Rescue

The next two years saw her visit the Far East, Australia, New Zealand and the south Atlantic and Indian Oceans, before she returned to Portsmouth to pay off. She was considered as a replacement for the Australian carrier {{HMAS|Melbourne|R21|6}} but was rejected,<ref name = "stephens1998">{{cite book | title = Maritime power in the twentieth century: the Australian experience | last = Stephens | first = Dr. David | year = 1998 | publisher = Allen & Unwin | location = St Leornards, NSW, Australia | page = 144 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cUcmQvge2pwC&q=%22hms+albion%22+hmas+melbourne%22&pg=PA144 | isbn = 1-86448-736-4 }}</ref> and in January 1961 conversion begun for her to become a [[commando carrier]]. She recommissioned in 1962, training with [[845 Naval Air Squadron|845]] and [[846 Naval Air Squadron|846]] helicopter squadrons as well as [[40 Commando Royal Marines]] before she joined the Far East Fleet. During this period she gained the nickname "The Old Grey Ghost of the Borneo Coast".<ref>{{cite book|author=Roberts, John |title=Safeguarding the Nation: The Story of the Modern Royal Navy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jNbZAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT49|date=16 April 2009|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=978-1-84832-043-7|page=49}}</ref>

On 26 November 1962 she collided with a tug in [[Aden]] harbour, killing two of the tug's crew.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bad Month for Air World: Five Killed in Centaur: Six Lose Lives in Air Crashes|newspaper=[[Navy News]]|date=December 1962|page=1|url=https://issuu.com/navynews/docs/196212|access-date=20 October 2018}}</ref> She was a vital asset in supporting operations ashore in Borneo during the [[Indonesian Confrontation]]. In 1967 she was part of the RN task force that covered the withdrawal from Aden, and in 1971 was part of another withdrawal of British forces, this time in [[Singapore]] and the disbandment of the [[Far East Fleet]].

[[File:AD-4W 849Sqn NAN9-79.jpg|thumb|left|A Douglas Skyraider AEW.1 of the Royal Navy's No. 849 Squadron taking off from HMS ''Albion'']]

She sailed from Portsmouth in March 1971 for the [[Far East]], under the command of Captain James Jungius, RN. She paid a brief visit to [[Ascension Island]] before visiting [[Durban]] in April 1971.  She was in [[Bombay]] from 3 to 6 May 1971 and, after a passage of nearly seven weeks the ship embarked 40 Commando Royal Marines off [[Changi]] for an exercise (set as a counter-terrorist operation in [[Brunei]]). A ceremonial entry into Singapore followed with [[848 Naval Air Squadron]] providing a flypast as the air squadron disembarked to {{HMS|Simbang}}.  A month alongside in Singapore followed, for an assisted maintenance period (AMP). Having embarked the [[Australian Army Band]], the ship sailed Singapore at the end of June for Japan, carrying out a full-power trial and encountering typhoons on passage. ''Albion'' was in [[Kobe]] from 1 to 8 July 1971 and then returned to Singapore. A night assault exercise followed in the Marang area, in company with a number of other warships and auxiliaries.

After a rough passage the ship arrived in [[Fremantle, Western Australia|Fremantle]] on 9 August 1971 for an eight-day visit, with personnel changing from tropical uniform ("whites") to blue uniform ("blues") for the Australian winter. She returned to Singapore on 23 August and had another month alongside. Sailing Singapore on 20 September, she spent two days at the [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay]] and arrived at [[Hong Kong]] on 30 September, where she was alongside the British naval base, {{HMS|Tamar|shore station|6}}, until 11 October.

Back in Singapore on 15 October, her last two weeks at the [[Singapore Naval Base]] were spent storing, embarking 40 Commando Royal Marines and 848 Naval Air Squadron as part of the British withdrawal from the Far East. A farewell parade of all British armed forces represented in Singapore was held at 17:30 on 29 October 1971 at the base in [[Sembawang]], the salute being taken by [[Air Chief Marshal]] Sir Brian Burnett. The ship sailed the next day and, on 31 October 1971, the ship was one of twenty in a steampast—and flypast—that marked the handover of the naval base to the [[ANZUK]] forces. ''Albion'' then headed west.

First call was [[Gan (Seenu Atoll)|Gan]] and then on to [[Mombasa]] from 14 to 22 November, where the ship underwent a week's self-maintenance period (SMP) in [[Kilindini Harbour|Kilindini harbour]].  She then sailed to [[Masirah Island]] and, as part of the "Gulf Covering Force", assisted with the withdrawal of British forces form the [[Persian Gulf]]. On 10 December she was detached, at full speed, to the [[Bay of Bengal]] to aid United Kingdom citizens remaining in [[East Pakistan]] during the [[Indo-Pakistan War]] but was diverted to Gan, where she arrived on 15 December. From Gan, 40 Commando Royal Marines were flown home to the United Kingdom. For the ship, it was Christmas in the Indian Ocean and New Year in Cape Town, from where she sailed on 5 January 1972. Back in home waters, she disembarked 848 Naval Air Squadron on 20 January and entered Portsmouth on 24 January 1972.

After maintenance and leave, the ship sailed from [[Portsmouth]] on 11 April 1972, embarking 848 Naval Air Squadron, for the Mediterranean. After a visit to Gibraltar, the ship was lying off [[Cyprus]] from 20 to 29 April, supporting Royal Marines in an exercise. Then followed a large NATO exercise, "Dawn Patrol", which included visits to [[Kavala]], Greece, and [[Souda Bay]], [[Crete]]. Returning west for home, with a brief stop at Gibraltar, the ship paid an official visit to [[Brest, France|Brest]] from 23 to 30 May 1972, flying the flag of the Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Edward Ashmore. The ship returned to Portsmouth on the last day of May and, in the first week of June, Captain [[William Staveley (admiral)|William Staveley]] RN assumed command.

June 1972 saw the ship carrying out demonstrations at sea for officers from the [[Royal College of Defence Studies]] and, on 14 June, she headed north for [[Rosyth]], where the ship received a visit from the [[Grand Duke of Luxembourg]]. Having embarked [[45 Commando|45 Commando Royal Marines]] and 848 Naval Air Squadron in the [[Firth of Forth]], she sailed north for exercises in waters around the [[Orkney Islands]]. She was in [[Rotterdam]] from 28 June to 4 July 1972 and, on 8 July 848 Naval Air Squadron disembarked ''Albion'' for the last time, before the ship spent Clyde Week in [[Greenock]]. Her last United Kingdom port visit was to [[Dover]], marking the ship's adoption by the [[Cinque Ports|Confederation of Cinque Ports]]. On 18 July, she held a Families' Day in Portsmouth before going alongside in the naval base for leave and maintenance.

In September 1972 ''Albion'' took part in Exercise "Strong Express", then the largest NATO exercise ever staged, in Norwegian waters around [[Harstad Municipality|Harstad]]. Her final deployment was to Canada, and she sailed from Portsmouth on 10 October 1972, embarking 42 Commando Royal Marines and [[845 Naval Air Squadron]] the next day. She arrived in [[Saint John, New Brunswick]], on 19 October and landed 42 Commando for exercises ashore with Canadian forces and, two days later, [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], for a nine-day visit hosted by HMCS ''Stadacona''. She began her passage along the [[Saint Lawrence Seaway]] on 31 October, arriving in [[Montreal]] two days later.  With 150 sea cadets embarked, she sailed from Montreal at 08:30 on 7 November and arrived in [[Quebec]] at 20:30 the same day. Sailing 10 November, she called at Saint John on 13 November in order to recover 42 Commando, finally departing Canadian waters on 15 November and heading East across the North Atlantic. At 08:00 on 22 November, ''Albion'' anchored in [[Plymouth Sound]] and disembarked 42 Commando, 845 Naval Air Squadron and Kangaw Flight RM. Sailing from Plymouth the next day, she entered Portsmouth Harbour at 14:30 on 24 November 1972, flying her paying-off [[pennant (commissioning)|pennant]], with a fly-past by 845 Naval Air Squadron. The usual activities then began before disposal of the ship: de-ammunitioning, returning equipment, the last ship's company dance (ashore), the wardroom paying-off ball and, daily, an exodus of members of the ship's company.

==Fate==
In 1973, ''Albion'' was sold for conversion to a heavy lift vessel for [[North Sea oil]] exploration. The plan collapsed and she was instead broken up for scrap at [[HMNB Clyde|Faslane Naval Base]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Publications==
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
*{{cite book |last=Hobbs |first=David |title=Aircraft Carriers of the Royal and Commonwealth Navies |year=1996 |location=London |publisher=Greenhill Books |isbn=1-85367-252-1}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Osborne |first1=Richard |title=Naval Air and Amphibious Operations at Suez, 1956 |journal=Marine News Supplement: Warships |date=November 2022 |volume=76 |issue=11 |pages=S561–S575 |issn=0966-6958}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|HMS Albion (R07)}}
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/aircraft_carriers/hms_albion_r07.htm Maritimequest HMS Albion R 07 photo gallery]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070805030946/http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/Albion.html  HMS Albion information ]}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131214012706/http://www.bulwarkassoc.co.uk/eastleigh/gallery/gallery.htm HMS Bulwark Albion Centaur Photo Gallery]

{{Centaur class aircraft carrier}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albion (R07)}}
[[Category:Centaur-class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:1947 ships]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom]]<!-- construction begun during WWII -->
[[Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Cold War amphibious warfare vessels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ships built by Swan Hunter]]