HMS Bulwark
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Bulwark.
- Construction of the first Bulwark began in 1780, but the keel was never laid down, and the order was subsequently cancelled.
- The second Bulwark was a 74-gun frigate that took part in the blockade of Rochefort in 1813 and fought in the War of 1812. She was broken up in 1826.
- The third Bulwark was the first of the Bulwark class of nine 91-gun two-decker steam line of battle ships were laid down between March 1859 and October 1860 (a further three were ordered but never laid down and eventually cancelled in 1863). Their dimensions were the same as HMS Duncan (101 guns), but a new timbering plan to suit the smaller armament. The reduction in armament was intended to improve the efficiency of the guns. Bulwark was laid down at Chatham on 7 March 1859, but was suspended in March 1861 in an advanced state of contruction and was eventually broken up in March 1873. [1]
- The fourth Bulwark was an old wooden three-decker, originally called HMS Howe. The Howe was renamed Bulwark in 1885, but then became the training ship HMS Implacable in 1886; in 1919 she was renamed Bulwark again, and sold in 1921. HMS Howe was originally a wooden 121-gun steam first-rate ship of the line launched on 7 March 1860 at Pembroke. She was soon made obsolete by ironclads. After initial sea trials lasting into 1861, she was never completed for full active duty. [2]
- The fifth Bulwark, launched in 1899, was a Formidable-class battleship. She was destroyed in a magazine explosion at Sheerness in 1914.
- The sixth Bulwark (R08), launched in 1948, was a 22,000 tonne Centaur-class light fleet carrier.
- The most recent ship to bear the name, Bulwark (L15), launched in 2001, is an amphibious assault ship commissioned into service in December 2004.
The motto of HMS Bulwark is "Under Thy Wings I Will Trust".
[edit] Notes
1. A wall or similar structure as a defensive fortification; rampart.
