Landing platform for up to 5 Sea King helicopters.
HMS Fearless (L10) was a Royal Navy amphibious assault ship that served from 1965 until 2002. One of two Fearless-classlanding platform docks, she was based in HMNB Portsmouth and saw service around the world over her 37-year life. She was the last steam-powered surface ship in the Royal Navy.[1]
The landing platform docks (LPD) supported a Royal Marines amphibious assault force and provided a platform for the Headquarters capability prior to, and during, the assault phase. The Royal Marines served aboard as the 4th Assault Squadron. The Squadron included crew for the four LCUs, four LCVPs and the Beach Party, which was equipped with a Land Rover, a Bedford 4-ton truck, two tractor units—one a track layer, the other equipped with a bucket—and a Centurion BARV. The squadron also had duties aboard, (ensuring equipment and troops got to shore as they were needed), radio operators and administration.
Service
Fearless was the first purpose-built LPD used by the Royal Navy. Built in Belfast at the Harland and Wolff yard, she was launched in 1963 before undergoing trials and commissioning in 1965.
Following commissioning, her first operational tasking was acting as a command platform for British Counter-Terrorism operations in Aden, operating Royal Air Force aircraft and the Irish Guards prior to the British withdrawal as Flag of a 25 platform task group. Following the Aden experiences, she was the venue for talks between Harold Wilson and Ian Smith in 1968, over the future of Rhodesia. The latter had unilaterally declared independence(UDI) from Britain, owing to Britain's insistence on the removal of white minority rule.
Between 1969 and 1970 she was commanded by Captain John Gerard-Pearse.[2] During this time, Fearless toured the Far East and was involved in emergency assistance work in Bangladesh after Typhoon Bhola, carrying 59 Royal Engineers Squadron, who would later become 59 Independent Commando Squadron.
Fearless featured in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me as the ship that picks up Bond's escape pod. The filming took place the previous year near the island of Malta.[4]
Fearless was part of the British naval force committed to Operation Corporate, the 1982 Falklands War. Fitted with modern satellite communications equipment, it hosted the staff of amphibious force commander CommodoreMichael Clapp (Commodore Amphibious Warfare (COMAW)), and Commanding Officer 3 Commando Brigade, BrigadierJulian Thompson and his staff, as well as elements of the landing force. During the conflict, two of the ship's landing craft were involved in rescuing crew from HMSAntelope after it had been bombed. Royal Marine Coxswain Corporal Alan White received a commendation from the Task Force Commander, Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, for his part in rescuing 41 crew using Foxtrot 7, one of four LCVP landing craft carried by Fearless. Colour-Sergeant Brian Johnston was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for rescuing other crew members in Foxtrot 4, a larger LCU landing craft; he and five of F4's crew were killed, and two injured, on 8 June 1982 in an attack by enemy aircraft. Foxtrot 7 is now located in the Royal Marines Museum in Portsmouth, with detailed accounts from Corporal White of the missions he took part in, including the landings at San Carlos. F4 was replaced but is now named FJ in memory of C-Sgt Johnston.
She was placed out of commission for three years in 1985 prior to a two-year refit at Devonport, recommissioning in 1991. During this refit, her 1940s-vintage 40mm Bofors cannon and 1960s-vintage Sea Cat anti-aircraft missile launchers were replaced by 20mm BMARC and Phalanx CIWS guns.
From 1991 until 1995 she supported the sea training phase of initial officer training, undertaken at Britannia Royal Naval College, as part of the Dartmouth Training Squadron.
She was due to undertake an operation in the Gulf, but that was handed to HMSOcean in 2000. Her last major duty was to take part in amphibious exercises shortly before decommissioning.
Decommissioned
HMS Fearless in the Indian Ocean, 16 November 2001.
Fearless was decommissioned in 2002 and awaited disposal in Fareham Creek, Hampshire, moored alongside her sister shipIntrepid. In October 2007, it was reported that Fearless was to be scrapped in Belgium,[5][6] five years after the vessel was officially mothballed in Portsmouth. On 17 December 2007, Fearless was towed to Ghent in Belgium to be broken. This was the first warship successfully exported for recycling by any western government that fully complied with international agreements and the principles concerning environmentally sound management of waste.[7]
Replacement LPDs Albion and Bulwark were ordered during the 1990s. They were commissioned in 2003 and 2005 respectively.
Related Research Articles
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM) is the UK's commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The marines can trace their origins back to the formation of the English Army's "Duke of York and Albany's maritime regiment of Foot" at the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company on 28 October 1664.
HMS Ocean was a Landing Platform Helicopter, formerly the UK's helicopter carrier and the fleet flagship of the Royal Navy. She was designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force. She was constructed in the mid-1990s by Kvaerner Govan on the River Clyde and fitted out by VSEL at Barrow-in-Furness prior to trials and subsequent acceptance in service. Ocean was commissioned in September 1998 at her home port HMNB Devonport, Plymouth.
HMS Albion is an amphibious transport dock of the Royal Navy, the first of the two-ship Albion class. Built by BAE Systems Marine in Barrow-in-Furness, Albion was launched in March 2001 by the Princess Royal. Her sister ship, Bulwark, was launched in November 2001, also from Barrow. Affiliated to the city of Chester and based in Plymouth, she is the ninth ship to carry the name Albion, stretching back to the 74-gun 1763 warship, and last carried by an aircraft carrier decommissioned in 1973 after 19 years service. Designed as an amphibious warfare ship, Albion carries troops, normally Royal Marines, and vehicles up to the size of the Challenger 2 main battle tank. She can deploy these forces using four Landing Craft Utility (LCUs) and four Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVPs). A flight deck supports helicopter operations.
The Albion-class landing platform dock is a class of amphibious warfare ship in service with the Royal Navy. The class consists of two vessels, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, ordered in 1996 to replace the ageing Fearless class. Both ships were built by BAE Systems Marine at the former Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering yard in Barrow-in-Furness. Albion was commissioned in 2003 and Bulwark in 2004. Each of the ships has a crew of 325 and can accommodate up to 405 troops. Thirty-one large trucks and thirty-six smaller vehicles and main battle tanks can be carried inside the vehicle deck. To disembark troops and vehicles, the vessels are equipped with eight landing craft.
The Netherlands Marine Corps is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The marines trace their origins back to the establishment of the Regiment de Marine on 10 December 1665, by the then grand pensionary of the Dutch Republic, Johan de Witt and famous Admiral Michiel de Ruyter.
HMS Intrepid (L11) was one of two Fearless-class amphibious warfare ships of the Royal Navy. A landing platform dock (LPD), she served from 1967 until 1999. Based in HM Naval Base, Devonport, Plymouth, Devon and HM Naval Base Portsmouth, she saw service around the world over her 32-year life.
A beach armoured recovery vehicle (BARV) is an armoured recovery vehicle used for amphibious landings.
The Fearless-class landing platform docks were the first purpose-built amphibious assault vessels in the Royal Navy. The class comprised two ships: HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid.
A dock landing ship is an amphibious warfare ship with a well dock to transport and launch landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Some ships with well decks, such as the Soviet Ivan Rogov class, also have bow doors to enable them to deliver vehicles directly onto a beach. Modern dock landing ships also operate helicopters.
PHIBRON is a United States Navy abbreviation for Amphibious Squadron. It is a tactical and administrative organization composed of amphibious assault shipping to transport troops and their equipment for an amphibious assault operation.
The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Naval Service. In its last years, as the Navy shrank, more administrative responsibilities were added.
A Landing Craft Utility (LCU) is a type of boat used by amphibious forces to transport equipment and troops to the shore. They are capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and troops from amphibious assault ships to beachheads or piers.
An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers. Modern ships support amphibious landing craft, with most designs including a well deck. Coming full circle, some amphibious assault ships also support V/STOL fixed-wing aircraft, now having a secondary role as aircraft carriers.
An amphibious warfare ship is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault.
The Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) is a versatile amphibious landing craft designed to transport troops or armoured vehicles from ship to shore during amphibious landings. The designation was first used in British service for the LCVP Mk2s introduced with the two Fearless class amphibious transport docks, the role having previously been carried out by the Landing Craft Assault developed during the Second World War. They are manned and operated by 1 Assault Group Royal Marines.
Assault Craft Unit ONE, (ACU-1) is a Pacific Ocean Maritime Prepositioning Force in the United States Navy operated under Naval Beach Group ONE out of Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado with a Forward Detachment in Sasebo, Japan. ACU-1's force consists of Landing Craft Utility (LCU) boats, Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM), Mark 8 boats, and Maritime Prepositioning Force Utility Boats (MPFUBs). The sister unit of ACU-1 is Assault Craft Unit 2 in Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia.
A Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel or Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) is any of a variety of amphibious landing craft designed to transport troops or armoured vehicles from ship to shore during amphibious landings.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United Kingdom
