Royal Navy’s amphibious warship HMS Bulwark set sail on September 12 to lead a major exercise to the Adriatic and Arabian Seas.
Plymouth-based HMS Bulwark has spent the last four weeks preparing for this autumn’s annual Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) (JEF) deployment with a combination of training off the SW Coast and essential maintenance alongside in Devonport Naval Base.
Captain James Parkin , the ship’s commanding officer of said: “My sailors and Royal Marines have put everything into making sure that Bulwark is ready to deploy and I am proud of all the work they have put in to reach this stage.
“I am confident that my people and my ship are ready to meet any challenge thrown at us in our demanding and exciting future programme, and we look forward to embarking the Commander of the Amphibious Task Group, and his staff, to lead the British Armed Forces’ major operational deployment of 2016.”
The four week package of trials, training, and tactics was designed to ensure HMS Buklwark was both ready to deploy on time and capable of any emergent tasking.
The ship has now embarked over 250 additional sailors, marines, soldiers and civilians, who will spend the next few months on board.
HMS Bulwark will return to the UK before Christmas and commence the process of handing over duties as fleet amphibious flagship to her sister ship HMS Albion.