The sale of HMS Bulwark to Brazil follows a long trend of European nations selling their used warships abroad instead of scrapping them.

The Royal Navy confirmed that it would transfer one of its two Albion-class Landing Platform Dock Ships (LPDs) to the Brazilian Navy, as part of an agreement between London and Brasília valued at £20 million ($27 million).

HMS Bulwark (L15) was commissioned in 2005 and homeported at HM Naval Base Devonport. During its two decades with the UK’s “senior service,” the dock ship was employed in amphibious deployments and humanitarian missions.

“HMS Bulwark served this country and our allies with distinction for over two decades, and I’m pleased that she will continue her story in Brazilian service, with a nation that has long stood alongside us as a defence partner,” said Vernor Coaker, Baron Coaker, the UK’s Minister of State for Defence.

The transfer of the Albion-class landing ship follows a £2.4 billion ($3.24 billion) partnership between the UK and the Netherlands—both NATO allies—to build a new fleet of amphibious transport ships, which will be built in the British Isles with support from Dutch industry. The new ships will replace the Albion class over time, allowing London to retire the vessels or resell them to buyers in the developing world.

The effort is also part of the Royal Navy’s transition to a hybrid force that includes unmanned surface and underwater vessels that support manned warships. The United Kingdom has already pledged £1.5 billion ($2.03 billion) to this effort via its Defence Investment Plan.

“This partnership with the Netherlands marks a real step forward for our Armed Forces, giving our personnel the modern, interoperable capability they need to operate alongside our allies for decades to come,” Coaker added. “It’s also a vote of confidence in British shipbuilding, backing the skills and shipyards that will keep our industrial base strong and our nation secure.”

The HMS Bulwark Transfer Is Good for Both the UK and Brazil

As previously reported, the British Ministry of Defence first floated the idea of transferring one of its two LPDs to the South American nation in early 2025, as both ships required costly and time-consuming refits.

HMS Bulwark previously served as the Royal Navy’s fleet flagship between 2011 and 2015—the period in which the senior service had no operational aircraft carrier following the retirement and decommissioning of the Invincible-class light aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R07), but before the commissioning of HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2017. The LPD, whose flight deck is too small to accommodate fixed-wing aircraft such as the F-35B Lightning II, typically carries two Merlin or Sea King helicopters as well as two CH-47 Chinook heavy helicopters. These aircraft helped support evacuation operations in Lebanon in 2006, and the Bulwark later contributed to the maritime security of the Sailing Regatta at the London 2012 Olympics.

The lead vessel of the LPD class, HMS Albion (L14), remains at Devonport awaiting disposal. It is unclear if the ship will be sold to another nation or simply scrapped.

Until the new Anglo-Dutch amphibious transport ships are constructed, the Royal Navy will rely on four Bay-class helicopter landing ships, one of which is undergoing a scheduled refit.

Why Does Brazil Have So Many Secondhand Ships?

Brazil has a long history of operating former Royal Navy and other European warships. These are a relatively good deal for Brasilia, which has a far smaller military budget than most European powers, yet must defend an expansive coastline from a range of non-state threats. Though maintenance costs for old ships are somewhat higher than for newer ones, these can be offset by the steep discounts many modern navies offer on their retiring warships.

In 2018, London sold the former helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to Brasília in a deal valued at £84 million ($103 million). That decision came as a surprise, as it had been in service for fewer than two decades and had only completed a refit just four years earlier. The ship had been built at a cost of around £150 million (then approx. $240 million), or around £330 million ($530 million) adjusted for inflation.

Recommissioned as the NAM Atlântico (A140), the helicopter carrier is the current flagship of the Brazilian Navy. It replaced the aircraft carrier São Paulo, itself a secondhand carrier in service with the French Navy as the Foch from 1963 to 2000. After France retired the vessel from its own navy, Brazil bought it in 2000 and operated it until 2018. After Brazil was unable to find another buyer for the now-ancient warship, it scuttled it in the South Atlantic in 2023.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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