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HMS Ocean

HMS Ocean is currently the largest ship in the Royal Navy and is the sixth ship to bear the name ‘Ocean’.

HMS Ocean 01: The first ship to bear the name of Ocean was a 2nd rate ship with 90 guns and weighing approximately 1,800 tons.

She was built at Chatham in 1761 and was paid off 22 year later in 1783.

HMS Ocean 02: Launched shortly after the Battle of Trafalgar, in October 1805, the second Ocean was a 98 gun 2nd rate ship of approximately 2,300 tons.

For the first three years of service she served as the flagship of Vice Admiral Lord Collingwood in the Mediterranean. She undertook other deployments before being reclassified as a 110 gun first rate ship in 1817 where on completion she returned to the Mediterranean until 1830 before returning to England as the Sheerness guardship.

Ocean was eventually broken up in 1875 having spent the previous 25 years as a coal depot ship.

HMS Ocean 03: Originally ordered as a wooden screw ship carrying 91 guns the order for the third Ocean was changed to meet the specification of a 24 gun iron clad and eventually took to the water in 1863.

She served as the flagship to the Commander-in-Chief, the China Station, in the late 1860’s but was paid off in 1872 after an active life of approximately six years.

HMS Ocean 04: Laid down at Devonport in December 1897 the fourth HMS Ocean was a Canopus Class battleship with a displacement of some 13,000 tons and was the first large armoured ship to be built at Devonport. She had an armament of four 12 inch 35 caliber guns mounted in twin turrets and twelve 6 inch 40 caliber guns as well as four submerged 18 inch torpedo tubes.

Designed to be capable of transiting the Suez Canal, Ocean had five sister ships, all of whom had been designed for service in the Far East to counter the rising Japanese threat. Deployments between 1901 and 1910 alternated between the Mediterranean and the China Station before returning to British waters just prior to WWI. During WWI she saw service in the East Indies, the Suez Canal and took part in operations during the Dardanelles Campaign. Ocean sunk on the night of 18 March 1915 after striking a mine at the same time as coming under enemy fire.

HMS Ocean 05: Commissioned in August 1945, the fifth Ocean was a Colossus Class light fleet aircraft carrier equipped with radar and aircraft detection aids, weighing some 13,200 tons.

The last Fairey Swordfish to take off from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier flew from Ocean’s deck in October 1945 and the first jet aircraft to make a deck landing onto an aircraft carrier was made by a Sea Vampire onto Ocean’s deck in December 1945.

From 1948, until she was scrapped at Faslane in 1962, HMS Ocean saw service in Palestine, Korea, and took part in the Suez Campaign.

HMS Ocean 06: Built by Kvaerner Govan on the River Clyde, the sixth HMS Ocean was launched in October 1995 and apart from being the first purpose built helicopter carrier is the largest ship built for the Royal Navy for some 40 years. Weighing in at just over 21,500 tons and over 200 metres long she was named by Her Majesty The Queen on 20 February 1998 at Vickers Shipbuilding prior to being delivered to Devonport.

Orders for two ‘Ocean’ Class Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) ships were originally envisaged but to date there has been no sign of the second option being taken up.

Although officially known as a Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) ship HMS Ocean is also referred to as a Commando Carrier and Assault Ship. For many years there has been a very close relationship between the marine amphibious forces of the United Kingdom and Holland. When she is working with the Royal Netherlands Navy Ship ‘Rotterdam’, as well other Royal Naval and Dutch Amphibious Forces and their embarked Marine units, HMS Ocean provides an up to date and highly capable amphibious force.

HMS Ocean is capable of carrying a Royal Marine Commando, or equivalent Army, group of approximately 500 officers and men. In the event of an emergency an extra 300 men can be carried. 4 Mk 5 Landing Craft Vehicle & Personnel (LCVP) capable of carrying 200 men each are carried in Oceans dock. She can carry and operate a variety of helicopters from the twin rotor Chinook through to the Apache Attack Helicopter and Lynx utility helicopter. It is also possible to operate the Harrier Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing (V/STOL) should the need arise.

Previous Section: The Current Ships of the Royal Navy

See our Short History of the Royal Navy and Aircraft Carriers of the Royal Navy

Aircraft Carriers
HMS Illustrious

Assault Ships
HMS Ocean
HMS Albion
HMS Bulwark

Frigates
Type 22 Frigates
Type 23 Frigates
Type 26 (FSC) Frigates

Destroyers
Type 42 Destroyers
Type 45 Destroyers

HM Submarines
Vanguard Class SSBN
Trafalgar Class SSN
Astute Class SSN

Naval Air Squadrons

More Sections:RAF Squadrons and Regiments
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