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HMS Albion (R07)
HMS Albion (R07) was a 22,000-ton Centaur-class light fleet carrier of the Royal Navy. The ship was laid down in 1944 and launched in 1947 but did not enter service until 1954. She served in the Royal Navy into the early 1970s.
She was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd. Her keel was laid down on 23 March 1944 and she was launched on 6 May 1947 by Violet Attlee, wife of the British Prime Minister Clement Attlee. On 18 October 1949, she was under tow by tugs Beamish, Hendon and George V from Jarrow to Rosyth when Albion collided with SS Maystone 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) from the Longstone Lighthouse. Maystone sank, Albion received a 225-square-foot (20.9 m2) hole in her stern and started to sink. The three tugs attempted to beach her near St Abbs Head but were hampered when Hector became disabled when a tow rope wrapped around her propeller. The tug HMS Restive was sent from Rosyth to assist and the destroyer HMS St James arrived and took Hector on tow until her crew managed to clear the propeller. Albion was successfully berthed at Rosyth with 5 feet (1.5 m) of water in her engine room. She was scheduled for completion in 1951 but not fully completed until May 1954. During the night of 19–20 June 1954, helicopters from Albion assisted in the search for survivors of a Swissair aircraft that had ditched in the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent. After an initial work up with her air group, in September she joined the Mediterranean Fleet and in October became the flagship of Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers.
In 1956, after refitting at Portsmouth, Albion returned once again to the Mediterranean Sea for operations relating to the Suez Crisis, where her air group struck key Egyptian airfields, and covered the paratroopers' landings. In July 1958, Albion embarked 42 Commando Royal Marines, with all its vehicles and additional equipment, and transported the unit to the Middle East.
Final fixed-wing complement as embarked in 1959–60:
The next two years saw her visit the Far East, Australia, New Zealand and the south Atlantic and Indian Oceans, before she returned to Portsmouth to pay off. She was considered as a replacement for the Australian carrier HMAS Melbourne but was rejected, and in January 1961 conversion begun for her to become a commando carrier. She recommissioned in 1962, training with 845 and 846 helicopter squadrons as well as 40 Commando Royal Marines before she joined the Far East Fleet. During this period she gained the nickname "The Old Grey Ghost of the Borneo Coast".
On 26 November 1962 she collided with a tug in Aden harbour, killing two of the tug's crew. She was a vital asset in supporting operations ashore in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation. In 1967 she was part of the RN task force that covered the withdrawal from Aden, and in 1971 was part of another withdrawal of British forces, this time in Singapore and the disbandment of the Far East Fleet.
She sailed from Portsmouth in March 1971 for the Far East, under the command of Captain James Jungius, RN. She paid a brief visit to Ascension Island before visiting Durban in April 1971. She was in Bombay from 3 to 6 May 1971 and, after a passage of nearly seven weeks the ship embarked 40 Commando Royal Marines off Changi for an exercise (set as a counter-terrorist operation in Brunei). A ceremonial entry into Singapore followed with 848 Naval Air Squadron providing a flypast as the air squadron disembarked to HMS Simbang. A month alongside in Singapore followed, for an assisted maintenance period (AMP). Having embarked the Australian Army Band, the ship sailed Singapore at the end of June for Japan, carrying out a full-power trial and encountering typhoons on passage. Albion was in Kobe from 1 to 8 July 1971 and then returned to Singapore. A night assault exercise followed in the Marang area, in company with a number of other warships and auxiliaries.
After a rough passage the ship arrived in Fremantle on 9 August 1971 for an eight-day visit, with personnel changing from tropical uniform ("whites") to blue uniform ("blues") for the Australian winter. She returned to Singapore on 23 August and had another month alongside. Sailing Singapore on 20 September, she spent two days at the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay and arrived at Hong Kong on 30 September, where she was alongside the British naval base, HMS Tamar, until 11 October.
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HMS Albion (R07)
HMS Albion (R07) was a 22,000-ton Centaur-class light fleet carrier of the Royal Navy. The ship was laid down in 1944 and launched in 1947 but did not enter service until 1954. She served in the Royal Navy into the early 1970s.
She was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd. Her keel was laid down on 23 March 1944 and she was launched on 6 May 1947 by Violet Attlee, wife of the British Prime Minister Clement Attlee. On 18 October 1949, she was under tow by tugs Beamish, Hendon and George V from Jarrow to Rosyth when Albion collided with SS Maystone 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) from the Longstone Lighthouse. Maystone sank, Albion received a 225-square-foot (20.9 m2) hole in her stern and started to sink. The three tugs attempted to beach her near St Abbs Head but were hampered when Hector became disabled when a tow rope wrapped around her propeller. The tug HMS Restive was sent from Rosyth to assist and the destroyer HMS St James arrived and took Hector on tow until her crew managed to clear the propeller. Albion was successfully berthed at Rosyth with 5 feet (1.5 m) of water in her engine room. She was scheduled for completion in 1951 but not fully completed until May 1954. During the night of 19–20 June 1954, helicopters from Albion assisted in the search for survivors of a Swissair aircraft that had ditched in the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent. After an initial work up with her air group, in September she joined the Mediterranean Fleet and in October became the flagship of Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers.
In 1956, after refitting at Portsmouth, Albion returned once again to the Mediterranean Sea for operations relating to the Suez Crisis, where her air group struck key Egyptian airfields, and covered the paratroopers' landings. In July 1958, Albion embarked 42 Commando Royal Marines, with all its vehicles and additional equipment, and transported the unit to the Middle East.
Final fixed-wing complement as embarked in 1959–60:
The next two years saw her visit the Far East, Australia, New Zealand and the south Atlantic and Indian Oceans, before she returned to Portsmouth to pay off. She was considered as a replacement for the Australian carrier HMAS Melbourne but was rejected, and in January 1961 conversion begun for her to become a commando carrier. She recommissioned in 1962, training with 845 and 846 helicopter squadrons as well as 40 Commando Royal Marines before she joined the Far East Fleet. During this period she gained the nickname "The Old Grey Ghost of the Borneo Coast".
On 26 November 1962 she collided with a tug in Aden harbour, killing two of the tug's crew. She was a vital asset in supporting operations ashore in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation. In 1967 she was part of the RN task force that covered the withdrawal from Aden, and in 1971 was part of another withdrawal of British forces, this time in Singapore and the disbandment of the Far East Fleet.
She sailed from Portsmouth in March 1971 for the Far East, under the command of Captain James Jungius, RN. She paid a brief visit to Ascension Island before visiting Durban in April 1971. She was in Bombay from 3 to 6 May 1971 and, after a passage of nearly seven weeks the ship embarked 40 Commando Royal Marines off Changi for an exercise (set as a counter-terrorist operation in Brunei). A ceremonial entry into Singapore followed with 848 Naval Air Squadron providing a flypast as the air squadron disembarked to HMS Simbang. A month alongside in Singapore followed, for an assisted maintenance period (AMP). Having embarked the Australian Army Band, the ship sailed Singapore at the end of June for Japan, carrying out a full-power trial and encountering typhoons on passage. Albion was in Kobe from 1 to 8 July 1971 and then returned to Singapore. A night assault exercise followed in the Marang area, in company with a number of other warships and auxiliaries.
After a rough passage the ship arrived in Fremantle on 9 August 1971 for an eight-day visit, with personnel changing from tropical uniform ("whites") to blue uniform ("blues") for the Australian winter. She returned to Singapore on 23 August and had another month alongside. Sailing Singapore on 20 September, she spent two days at the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay and arrived at Hong Kong on 30 September, where she was alongside the British naval base, HMS Tamar, until 11 October.