HMS Bulwark (R08)

1954-1983

Flight Deck:	B
Call Sign:	GKYD
Shipyard:	Harland and Wolff

Timeline

Date	Event
Jul 12, 1943	Ordered
May 10, 1945	Laid down	Yard No. 1281
Jun 22, 1948	Launched
Oct 29, 1954	Commissioned	aka The Rusty B
Aug 13, 1956	Deployment	Grand Harbour / il-Port il-Kbir / Valletta Arrived in Malta, covertly preparing for Op Musketeer. SAR Flt equipped with Dragonfly HR.3 WP502 / 983, WG720 / 984 & WG750 / 985.
Nov 1, 1956	Deployment	Nile Delta Participated in Suez Canal fixed wing operations. Port Said Operation Musketeer
Dec 1956	Refit	Refit at HMD Portsmouth, which included a flight deck magnetic loop communications system, until c Apr 1957
Jul 25, 1957	Port Visit	Cherbourg to Cherbourg in company with HMS Salisbury, until 30 Jul.
Aug 28, 1957	Aircraft	embarked Whirlwind HAS.7 of 845 Squadron, until 21 Oct.
Jan 17, 1958	Deployment	departed Portland for 2nd commission deployment, having embarked 845 Squadron with its second batch of brand new Whirlwind HAS.7 on 10 Jan. After initial visits to eastern Atlantic and Caribbean, arrived Singapore on 28 Apr. The return leg completed at HMNB Portsmouth in Nov 1958.
Sep 8, 1958	Aircraft	Aden Harbour 845 NAS Whirlwind XL833/390/A suffered engine failure while storing the ship and ditched in Aden inner harbour, 8 Sep. Airframe recovered but jettisoned next day. Accident
Sep 13, 1958	Deployment	Strait of Hormuz (SN) assisted with recovery of mv Melika which had caught fire in the Straits of Hormuz after colliding with another oil tanker. Taken under tow by Bulwark and made for Muscat, escorted by Type 41 frigate HMS Puma.
Nov 1958	Refit	until 1960 at HMD Devonport, converted to first UK Commando Carrier and recommissioned on 19 Jan 1960 Commando Carrier refit
Mar 14, 1960	Deployment	Sembawang naval base departed for Far East with 42 Commando and sixteen Whirlwind HAS.7 of 848 NAS embarked. Routed via the Mediterranean, Aden and Colombo, disembarking in Singapore on 30 May 1960.
Apr 19, 1961	Deployment	departed for Hong Kong 19 Apr and embarked 825 NAS (transferring in from HMS Victorious air group).
May 26, 1961	Aircraft	Off Sipadan Island Lost 848 Sq Whirlwind XM683 / T-B, when it ditched 1 nm from carrier while operating off Borneo Accident
Jun 29, 1961	Deployment	sailed with 42 Commando Royal Marines embarked, from Karachi to support Kuwait against possible Iraqi invasion. 42 CDO was airlifted into Kuwait on 1 Jul by Whirlwinds of embarked 848 NAS. HMS Bulwark withdrew on 21 Jul. Airborne insertion Operation Vantage
Nov 21, 1961	Aircraft	Hong Kong Port lost 848 Sq Whirlwind HAS.7 XN301 / M-B when it ditched during a formation landing. Accident
Jan 1962	Deployment	Cervantes Islands amphibious assault in Cervantes area, with 42 Commando Royal Marines and 848 NAS. Exercise Tombstone
Mar 27, 1962	Port Visit	Sembawang naval base arrived at Singapore for 3 week maintenance period.
Apr 1962	Aircraft	embarked 815 NAS Wessex HAS.1, for first of type familiarisation
Jul 24, 1962	Deployment	Pulau Tioman participated in Exercise FOTEX 62 with Far East Fleet, RAN and RNZN South China Sea Exercise FOTEX 62
Oct 1962	Port Visit	visited Kuwait in Persian Gulf
Dec 1962	Refit	refit at HMD Devonport for full conversion from Whirlwind to Wessex operation, until Dec 1963
Jan 1964	Aircraft	embarked 706 Sq B Flt and 43 Commando Royal Marines to work up with Wessex HAS.1 after refit. Culminated in Exercise Sandfly 2 assault on Libyan coast.
Mar 2, 1964	Aircraft	Landed on 16x Scout AH.1 from Middle Wallop destined for various Flights in the Far East, plus 10 Flight which had been reassigned from 651 Sq to 656 Sq (already in theatre). Disembarked 2 Scouts at Aden for 13 Flt and arrived at Singapore during Apr. 1st Scouts for Far East Konfrontasi
Apr 1964	Deployment	Gulf of Aden relieved HMS Albion off Aden, as the Far East station carrier
Feb 25, 1965	Deployment	Labuan departed Singapore with RAF 230 Squadron Whirlwinds for transport from Seletar to Labuan and arrived 10 Mar. Konfrontasi
Mar 15, 1965	Deployment	Exercising off Singapore in multi-national Naval Force Exercise FOTEX 65 Exercise FOTEX 65
Oct 1965	Refit	refit in UK, until c Mar 1966
Aug 1966	Deployment	Red Sea relieved HMS Albion in Red Sea, as the Far East station carrier
Mar 9, 1967	Deployment	sailed from Singapore in company with HMS Fearless for assault exercise off Penang.
May 1967	Deployment	following Cultural Revolution in China, reinforced (40 Commando RM embarked) Hong Kong after rioting began. Departed 12 Jun 1967.
Oct 1967	Deployment	Gulf of Aden Recommissioned in Singapore with new Ships Company, flown out from UK to support British withdrawl from Aden. Embarked a Royal Marine Commando unit as a contingency against a disruptive withdrawl, until c Apr 1968
Dec 1967	Deployment	until mid Jan 1968, part of Task Force 318 to cover the British withdrawal from Aden during Operation Magister.
Aug 1968	Refit	refit at HMD Portsmouth. Ships Company took accommodation in HMS Centaur until c Feb 1969.
May 17, 1969	Aircraft	845 NAS Wessex HU.5 XT774/F-B crashed on deck, off Cyprus Accident
Jan 1970	Deployment	Deployed as Far East staion carrier, with 848 NAS embarked and left Singapore that Jun without a relief, leaving the Far East without a continuous amphibious capability. Returned to UK with 848 NAS by end Jul 1970.
Aug 1970	Refit	refit until c Apr 1971
Aug 29, 1970		HMD Devonport present (in refit) at Plymouth Navy Days 1970. Navy Days 1970
May 1971	Deployment	Departed UK for the Baltic Sea with 845 NAS embarked. Returned to UK from Mediterranean in Nov 1971 for boiler repairs.
Aug 28, 1971	Port Visit	HMD Devonport Ship open to visitors at Plymouth Navy Days 1971. Navy Days 1971
Jan 1972	Deployment	Grand Harbour / il-Port il-Kbir / Valletta Malta withdrawal 3 months, during dispute with Maltese government over bases
May 19, 1972	Deployment	departed HMNB Portsmouth for a 2 month WESTLANT deployment, with 845 Squadron and 41 Commando Royal Marines embarked and to re-establish 41 CDO in its Maltese base. Returned to HMNB Devonport on 17 Jul 1972.
Nov 1972	Deployment	participated in Exercise Corsica 72 off W coast of Corsica with HMS Ark Royal, HMS Fearless, and HMS Intrepid.
Feb 1973	Port Visit	to Charleston, SC.
Apr 19, 1973	Aircraft	embarked 16 Wessex HU.5 of 848 NAS at HMNB Devonport, prior to the ship departing for Malta
May 5, 1973	Aircraft	Sioux AH.1 XT503 collided with part of ship on take off, ditched and sank while operating off Cyprus as 3 CBAS / Z. Accident
Mar 8, 1974	Refit	Refit at HMD Devonport, until early Feb 1975
Mar 1975	Port Visit	Grand Harbour / il-Port il-Kbir / Valletta Deployment to Gib. Malta.
Jan 16, 1976	Aircraft	848 NAS Wessex HU.5 XT758/VB-B w/o 16 Jan 1976 when ditched and sank SW of Azores Accident
May 1976		withdrawn from Service, into Reserve
Mar 20, 1978	Refit	Refit until c Jan1979, to cover delays in bringing Invincible class to service. Conversion at HMD Portsmouth to operate Anti-Submarine helicopters alongside those in the Commando role.
Jan 1980	Aircraft	embarked 2 airframe Flight from 846 NAS, (including XT451/VL-B) for exercise in the western Atlantic, until early Apr 1980
Mar 1981	Decommissioned	into reserve
Apr 1984	Fate: scrapped	Cairnryan sold for scrap. Breakers Yard

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