The British Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ship HMS Albion is progressing with its operational training, which is intended to prepare the vessel’s crew to face various challenges worldwide.
HMS Albion initially commenced the operational sea training programme off the coasts of Devon and Cornwall last month.
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The development follows the assault ship’s return to sea after a two-year refit period, which was carried out at a cost of £90m in order to enable the vessel to remain in service into 2030s.
HMS Albion was previously put through a series of extensive trials and training initiatives over summer.
It is set to take on responsibilities from HMS Ocean as Britain’s flagship and on-call amphibious vessel from the second quarter of 2018.
The amphibious training has so far included rehearsals for disaster response to a situation involving a hypothetical storm hitting the city of Chester.
In addition, commandos making their way ashore from landing craft subjected the Victorian fort at Tregantle to an assault exercise.
The training regimen also includes diplomacy operations, in addition to the delivery of humanitarian aid and a full-scale amphibious landing exercise.
A team of approximately 500 Royal Marines are participating in the training exercise, along with the staff of 3 Commando Brigade and the Commander Amphibious Task Group.
The training programme is currently half-way through and is scheduled to be completed next month.
HMS Albion is also expected to undergo further exercises early next year.
