FOl"tite1' Felicite1'

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Fidelite,'

COMMISSIONING .

BOOKLET

NOVEMBER1964

H.M.S. ALBION

This booklet is produced for the information of theShip's Company, embarked Squadron, Royal MarinesCommandos and light Commando I Regiments, Royal

Artillery; their families and friends.

H.M.S. ALBION

SIXTH COMMISSION

AND HER

SECOND AS A COMMANDO SHIP

H.M.S. Albion commissioned on the 14th May, 1964 atPortsmouth under the command o£ Captain J. H. Adams,M.V.O., Royal Navy.

Her programme, which is subject to amendment, is:-

Late November, until early Sea Trials and Work-up in theDecember and from mid- Portsmouth, Portland andJanuary Plymouth areas.Mid-February to mid-March Portsmouth £01'Foreign Ser­

vice Leave (subject to opera­tional requirements).

Mid-March Sail £01'the Far East Station.

BATTLE HONOURS

Grenada - 1779 Algiers - 1816Martinique - 1780 Navarino - 1827Washington - 1814 Sevastopol - 1854

Gallipoli - 1915

H.M.S. Albion was adopted by the Confederation o£theCinque Ports, at a meeting o£ the Courts o£ Brotherhood andGuestling, held at Dover on 24th September, 1953.

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A Short History of former

H.M.S. ALBION's

ALBION, THE FIRST

A 74 Run ship of 1662 tons launched at Deptford on 16thMay, 1763. She took part in several actions in the West Indies.In ·1794 she was converted to a coastal defence ship but wasunfortunately wrecked in the River Swin.

ALBION, THE SECOND

An armed sloop of 366 tons, built at Deptford in 1798.Mounted 20 guns but saw no action. She was sold out of theService in 1803.

ALBION, THE THIRD

.A 74 Run ship of 1740 tons, launched in 1802. She foughtin the English Channel, East Indies, American War of Inde­pendence and Mediterranean, and was finally broken up atDeptford in 1836.

ALBION, THE FOURTH

A 90 Run ship of 3,110 tons, launched at Devonport in1842. She took part in the Crimean War. In 1861 she wasfitted with a steam engine of 1,835 H.P., and in 1884 was soldfor breaking up.

ALBION, THE FIFTH

A twin screw first class armoured battleship of 12,950 tons,with four 12-inch Runs, launched at Blackwall in 1898 by the

late Queen Mary. II). 1915 she took part in. the bombardmentof the Turkish Defences at the Dardanelles and in 1919 wassold forbreakinR up ..

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H.M.S. ALBION

This, the sixth Albion, was built by Messrs. Swan, Hunter

and Wigham Richardson at Wallsend-on-Tyne, as a LightFleet Carrier of the "Centaur" Class. Her keel was laid on23rd March, 1944 and she was launched by the late Lady Atleeon 6th May, 1947. From then until 1949 the ship was berthedat J arrow with only a care and maintenance party on board.VV ork was resumed in August, 1949 and after sea trials Albionwas accepted into Service on 27th May, 1954.. She has an overall length of 737 feet and a width of 123feet 5 inches. Displacement is about 26,000 tons ..

Of the thirteen decks, four in the "island" contain thebridge, operations and wireless rooms, and the flying controlposition. The two decks immediately below the flight deckform the hangar, around and below which is the accommoda­tion for 2,041 officers and men. The lower decks house theboiler and engine-rooms, workshops, store-rooms, magazines,furnace and aviation fuel tanks and a variety of othermachinery. Two lifts, which when in the "up" position formpart of the flight deck, are used to carry aircraft, vehicles, guns,men and stores between the hangar and flight deck. Anotherlift can bring a variety of exploslVes stores from the magazinesor be used to convey stretcher cases from the flight deck to thesick bay.

Extensive radio equipment provides speech, morse or tele­printer communications with other ships, aircraft and shore

stations throughout the world. An automatic telephone ex­change connects some 300 important spaces in the ship, whileloudspeaker systems broadcast orders and informative talks l'Swell as relaying radio and record programmes in off duty hours.

Space in any warship is at a premium and does not allowluxury accommodation for the men who man her. In Albionthe mess decks are fitted with three-tiered bunks, some of whichare stowed away during the day to provide recreation spaces.

Four meals a day are served in the central dining halls ona cafeteria system. Two different cinema programmes arenormally shown each week when the ship is at sea, and tele­vision sets are hired by the Welfare Committee whilst within

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range of the U.K. transmitters. Amenities include a chapel,

educational facilities, sick bay, canteen, barber's shop, book­stall, fiction and non-fiction libraries. An up-to-date laundryis operated, by Chinese civilians whilst on the Far East station

who also provide tailoring, shoemaking and repairingfacilities at low cost. All on board can take part in games andsports whenever the necessary facilities are available ashore,while deck hockey, boxing, circuit training, etc., are carriedout on the flight deck or in the hangar during non-flyingperiods. In addition to a daily tot of rum for those entitled,there is normally an issue of beer available to all ratings daily .

In her first commission, Albion steamed over 83,000 miles.During the two years from May, 1954, the ship took part inexercises around the British Isles, in the Mediterranean, IndianOcean and South China Sea. Among the ports visited wereCopenhagen, Toulon, Naples, Bombay, Colombo, Singapore,Hong Kong, Malta and Gibraltar.

In the second commission, from June, 1956 to November,1957, Albion visited among other places, Dover, MilfordHaven, Messina, Cyprus, Oslo, Marseilles, Lisbon, Gibraltarand Malta, steaming a total of 54,865 miles. She was presentat Her Majesty's Review of the Home Fleet off Invergordon,when Her Majesty Tl;te Queen attended the Fleet Concert heldon board and also inspected Divisions.

Albion took part ~nthe Suez oI,>erations during which heraircraft flew over 1,100 armed sortIes.

The third commission involved Albion in an extensivecruise during which she visited ports in Australia, NewZealand, South Africa and South America in addition to such

places as Malta, Aden, Karachi, Hong Kong, Singapore,Manila and Guadalcanal. During this com:r:nission Albion'saircraft flew in support of military operations in Jordan.

During her fourth, and final commission as a conventionalaircraft carrier, Albion again served East of Suez. In additionto taking part in purely national exercises the ship also par­ticipated in both C.E.N.T.O. and S.E.A.T.O. exerCIses.

Among the ports visited were Malta, Aden, Singapore, HongKong, Manila, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Inchon, Subic Bay,Trincomalee, Karachi and Mombasa.

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On completion of her fourth commission as an AircraftCarrier, Albion was taken in hand at H.M. Dockyard, Ports­mouth for an extensive conversion. At the completion of thisshe emerged as the Royal Navy's second Commando Ship.This conversion embodied many of the features found neces­sary from lessons learned in the first Commando Ship, H.M.S.Bulwark. These include even more extensive air conditioning

of living accommodation and working spaces.In her role as a Commando Ship, Albion was modified tocarry helicopters only. The equipment to operate conven­tional fixed-wing aircraft such as Catapults and Arrester Wireswas removed, but light aircraft can, however, still land on andtake-off from the ship if necessary. Landing Craft are alsocarried to support the Commando in Assault and other militaryoperations.

For the first fourteen months of her fifth commission, herfirst as a Commando Ship, Albion was engaged in intensiveoperations in Borneo. In February, 1964, she joined theMiddle East Station and assisted in quelling internal unrestin East Africa. During this commission Albion steamed85,000 miles and carried more than 12,000 troops. Her twosquadrons of helicopters, 845 and 846, flew more than 10,000operational sorties, deployin~ 35,000 troops and airlifting

350,000 ltJs. of stores in logistIc support.Recently she has completed a five-month refit where struc­tural alterations were made to increase the Commando accom­modation and many min.or improvements affecting operationalability and living conditions were carried out.

THE ROLE OF THE COMMANDO SHIP

The primary function of a Commando Ship is to be a highlymobile base for a military force and to land them by helicopterand landing craft wherever they are required. The force con­sists of a Royal Marine Commando with supporting units ofthe Royal Artillery. After a landing, the ship acts as a supplydepot to sU{lport the troops ashore.

The ShIP can also act as a fast troopship to carry Armyunits to troubled areas, and with her helicopters, provide assis­tance to areas hit by disaster, such as earthquake or flood.Albion's helicopters can also be fitted with anti-submarinedetection equipment.

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ORGANISATION

The Ship's CompanyThis is divided into Departments with sub-departments

and also includes the supporting elements and services.The Seaman .De{lartment is made up of the Gunnery,

T.A.S., CommulllcatlOns and ND sub-departments and theRegulating Staff. The majority of their tasks are self-evidentbut Quartermasters, Boatswain's Mates and other gangwaystaff are also provided by this department.

The Air Department prov~des the necessary backing forthe embarked squadrons, and lllcludes the I?hotographic andSafety Equipment sections in addition to alfcraft workshop,firefighting, hangar and flight deck personnel.

The Marine Engineering Department -has the task ofoperating and servicing the propulsion machinery, the main­tenance of the hull structure and the operation and servicingof the domestic and auxiliary machinery.

The Electrical, Weapons and Radio Engineering Depart­ment has a self-evident task.

The Supply and Secretariat Department as the title impEl'Sprovides the pay, storekeeping, victualling and clerical organi­sation which includes Cooks and Officers' Stewards.

The Ship's Royal Marines Detachment provides, amongother things, the L.C.A. crews and a base supply and servicingorganisation for the embarked Commando.

The supporting elements and services include the meteoro­logical organisation, medical and dental services, the Chap­lains and Instructor Officers.

848 SQUADRONMOTTO: Accipe Hoc.

Commanding Officer - Lt.-Cdr. G. A. Andrews, R.N.The Squadron was first formed in 1943 and equipped with

Avengers, served in the Pacific until the end of the war. In1953, the Squadron was reformed with Sikorsky S55 Helicop­ters and was based for most of its commission in Malaya, wherein anti-bandit operations it became the fore-runner of theCommando Squadron concept.

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The Squadron was reformed again in 1958 in Malta, withWest] and Whirlwinds and carried out Commando operationsin both Malta and Cyprus. In 1960, it embarked in H.M.S.Bulwark and carried out exercises in North Africa, the MiddleEast and the Far East. On July 1st, 1961 the Sheikh of

Kuwait requested British Military Aid in suppressing localunrest. 300 Royal Marines and their equipment were landedby 848 Squadron.

The Squadron reformed in May this year with Westland.Wessex Mark V Helicopters. This aircraft is powered by twoBristol Siddely Gnome gas turbine engines and has a much im­proved performance over any helicopter previously in servicewith the Royal Navy. The Squadron has eighteen of these air­craft and is one of the largest front-line Squadrons in theService.

THE COMMANDO GROUP

This force consists of a Royal Marines Commando and aRoyal Artillery Battery and is organised as follows:-Commando Headquarters comprising the Commanding

Officer and his staff.

Headquarters Company this is the parent comJ?any ofthe signal, administratlve andtransport troops.

Three Rifle Companies each made up of three Rifletroops.

Support Company which is the parent company ofthe mortar, anti-tank, recon­naisance and· assault engineertroops.

Each of the Companies, including the Headquarters Com­pany, possesses its own Company Headquarters.

The Royal Artillery Battery in the Commando Ship con­text, implies a Headquarters, consisting of the Battery Com­mander and his headquarters staff, and a battery of four105 mm. guns.

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For short periods it is possible to cl;1rry a second Com­mando and elements of the Commando BrIgade Headquarters.Alternatively, equivalent Army formations could be embarked,although these would lack the Commando Group's training andexperience in this form of warfare.

COMMUNAL DUTIESThese duties are undertaken in turn by members of all

departments for a period of 3 months. As the name implies,these are duties common to all and are necessary for the domes­tic running of the ship. They include the manning of dininghalls, ship cleanliness and the embarkation of stores. It is ofinterest that the consumption of food alone accounts for some30 tons each week, including about Ii tons of potatoes and1,000 lOs. of bread daily.

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POSTAL INFORMATION

Mail ArrangementsLetters to members of the Ship's Company should include

the addressee's Rating, Official Number and Mess, and beaddressed to H.M.S. Albion, B.F.P.O. Ships.

As long as the ship is West of Suez, normal U.K. rates ofpostage are applicable for mail addressed to Albion and postedin the U.K. All letters and small packages (up to 4 to. at 3d.for the first ounce and ltd. lor each additional ounce) areautomatically consigned by Air Mail if necessary. IT IS NOTNECESSARY TO USE AIRMAIL LABELS.

As soon as the ship goes East ol Suez AIRMAIL LABELSMUST BE USED and current Airmail rates are as Iollows :­

Forces Air Letter Forms 3d.Letters not exceeding It oz.. 6d.Each additional t oz. (max. 4 to .) 6d.Postcards 3d.Newspapers, etc. (max. 6t to.) 3d. per t oz.

Irrespective of where the ship is, parcels can be sent bySea Mail. They cannot be registered, but can be insured.Telegrams

There are only two Iorms of telegrams which will bedelivered to the ship anywhere in the world, at sea or in har­bour. They are the Radio Telegram and the ConcessionTelegram.Radio Telegrams

These may be handed in at any Post Office which dealswith telegrams in the United Kingdom or Irish Republic andmust be addressed as follows:-

(a) Name ol Addressee including Rank or Rating.(b) The words "WARSHIP ALBION".(c) The word "ADMIRALTYRADIO".

The radio telegram will then be passed direct to the shipover any available Naval communication channel. The cost isat present l/ld. per word.

While the ship is in home waters a special reduced rat,eis applicable. When using this service the word "HOME­WATERS" should be inserted before "ADMIRALTY­RADIO" . The charge is then Std. per word.

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Concession Telegrams (CSN)Concession Telegrams lor urgent and essential private

affairs only, may be sent to officers and ratings by their next­ol-kin and one other nominated person (Army - next-ol-kinonly). They must be handed in at a Post Office on a specialIorm. This Iorm may be obtained on application, by officersIrom the Second Permanent Under Secretary ol State (Royal

Navy, NCW Branch), by Naval Ratings Irom the appropriateselected Wel£are Depot and lor Royal Marines other ranksIromthe Director ol Pay and Records, R.M.

They are charged lor at the normal Inland Telegram rate,and passed by Naval communication channels. Further detailscan be obtained Irom Divisional Officers.

• '. ~'I. . .J -::.' ~". ( .•. -

Wives or ratings are advised to read the hooklet "A Guidefor. Naval and Ro:VaIMar~ne Fltmilies", copies of which areissued to all married mel;l..

PLEASE GIVE FULL PERSONAL DETAILS OF RANKOR RATING WHEN DEALING WITH

WELFARE AUTHORITIES

Plymouth 64295

. Plymouth 63066 Ext. 921

R.N. Barracks, Devonport,Devon.

H.M.S. Ariel, Lee-on-Solent,Hants. (for Fleet AirArm ratings) .

M.G.R.M., Portsmouth,Eastney, Southsea,Hants. (Ship'sDetachment).

M.G.R.M., Plymouth,Stonehouse,Plymouth,Devon.(Commandos).

95 CommandoLight Regiment, R.A.The Citadel,Plymouth,Devon.

Addresses and Telephone Numbers, of W.elfare AtdhoritiesR.N. Barracks, Portsmouth, Day: Portsmouth 22351,

Hants. Ext. 2786Night: Portsmouth 22351,

. Ext. 2181Day: Plymouth 53722,

Ext. 941Night: Plymouth 53722(Ask for R.N. Barracks,

Ext. 213)Day: Lee-on-Solent 79194,

Ext. 217Night: Lee-on-Solent 79194,ask for Duty Staff Officer.Portsmouth 22351, Ext. 6104

WELF ARE INFORMATION

The follo~ing information may be of assistance to youshould something unfortunate occur during H.M.S. Albion'sabsence.

Consideration can be given to the grant of compassionateleave to men serving abroad only in the following circum­stances :-

(a) the serious illness or death of a wife or child;(b) circumstances which will result in the breaking­

up of a man's family;(c) imminent death of a parent (but not after death

except in very exceptional circumstances);(d) serious illness of a parent, provided the man's

presence at home will be of use, and provided there is noother son or daughter available to render the necessaryassistance.

In any of these circumstances seek advice from the appro­priate Welfare Authority or from your local Police or Soldiers,Sailors and Air Force Association, as appropriate. The latter'sname, address and telephone number can be obtained from yourlocal post office.

In the event of some personal tragedy it is better to advisethe Welfare Authority straight away rather than send a tele­

gram to the ratin10'in the ship. The Welfare Authority advisesthe Captain and ocal Commanders-in-Chief on the merits ofthe case and IT IS ON THAT RECOMMENDATION ALONEthat it can be decided whether a flight home can be approved.A cable such as "Mum seriously ill. Letter follows" only

succeeds in worrying' the recipient and does not give the Navalauthorities enough mformation to decide whether immediatereturn home is justified. Welfare Authorities marshal all thefacts and make a definite recommendation.

Outside the scope of compassionate leave, etc. , WelfareAuthorities will gladly assist the families whose husbands areabroad. If you find yourself in need of advice or assistancethrough ill health or have financial or domestic problems theWelfare Authority may be able to help. On the other hand donot swamp the Welfar'e Authority with minor queries.

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WIVES VISITING ABROAD

Certain facilities' have very recently been introduced toassist wives (and children if they are unable to be left behindin U.K.) to visit their husbands when the ship is abroad. Localoverseas allowance at married accompanied rate within normalqualifying- conditions will be paid during one private visit inthe first 12 months and one pnvate visit during the remainingperiod of the commission. Payments will be conditional on the

visit being-made during refits, docking-and emergency defectperiods and will cover the wife's date of arrival until the dateof the first available passage after the ship finally sails.

Free passag-ewill not be available nor is the AdmiraltyBoard able to subsidise the cost of passages exce{>tthat allwives may travel in services charter aircraft for vIsits to theFar East and Middle East. The passages must be paid for inadvance and firm arrang-ements should be made for the returnpassag-eto avoid the risk of being-stranded. It may be possiblefor your husband to obtain an advance on the ledger of all orpart of the charter fare in cases of financial difficulty.

The visit may be affected by political or operational con­siderations and may have to be cancelled at short notice forsuch reasons.

This scheme is in its infancy and full details have not yetbeen published. Nearer the time your husband will be able toobtain details from his Divisional Officer.

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