French Navy's BSAM FS Garonne conducts drills with British LPD HMS Albion


According to a tweet published by the Royal Navy on November 5, 2021, Albion-class amphibious transport dock (or landing platform dock LPD) HMS Albion conducted a Towing Exercise with the FS Loire Class BSAM Garonne.
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Russian Vyborg Shipyard laid the Purga ice class coastguard ship of project 23550 925 001 Albion-class amphibious transport dock HMS Albion with FS Loire Class BSAM Garonne (Picture source: Twitter account of Royal Navy)


The Albion-class landing platform dock is a class of amphibious warfare ships in service with the Royal Navy. The class consists of two vessels, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, ordered in 1996 to replace the Fearless class.

Both ships were built by BAE Systems Marine at the former Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering yard in Barrow-in-Furness.

Albion was commissioned in 2003 and Bulwark in 2004. Each of the ships has a crew of 325 and can accommodate up to 405 troops. Thirty-one large trucks and thirty-six smaller vehicles and main battle tanks can be carried inside the vehicle deck. To disembark troops and vehicles, the vessels are equipped with eight landing craft.

Loire-class vessels are designed to perform can a wide range of support missions. It can be used to carry weapons and ammunition, support submarines and surface ships, tow underwater antennas, as well as to deploy a pollution control dam.

The BSAM has a towing capacity of 80 tons of traction, a navigation speed of 14 knots, and a significant endurance of about 30 days (without refueling). They are fitted with an 8 meters boat, several RHIBs, and a crane for loading and unloading containers.

The BSAM has a crew of 17 sailors in addition to an option for 12 people and it has an endurance of about 30 days (without refueling).