Actually a Landing Platform Dock, certainly no high seas fighting ship, certainly would not make one dreadnought. Sad:

Meet Britain’s New Flagship

With HMS Ark Royal being put out to pasture, the U.K. names the HMS Albion its new flagship.

(Credit: Crown Coypright)

The LPD, commissioned in 2001, carries a crew of 325 and can accommodate three medium support helos — two on either deck landing spot and one stowed.

For more on the Albion-class LPD, here is the Royal Navy’s fact sheet.

Displacement for the HMS Ark Royal was 20,235 metric tons, for HMS Albion it is 18,500 metric tons — it is perhaps a good symbol of Britain’s diminished defense ambitions.

As for the Ark Royal:

Harrier’s last sea jump

Plus related to the Royal Navy:

Good froggies!

The LPD is a type of vessel the CF could use to support the Army (other examples here and here; the French have this), but our Navy will be getting something else. I guess the government just could not afford to buy distinct oilers and assault ships–or a really capable hybrid:

Joint Support Ship effectively sunk

Joint Support Ship effectively sunk, Take 2

Update: A version of this post is at the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute’s 3Ds Blog.

Mark
Ottawa