HMS Ocean (L12): The First Royal Navy Ship to Command a US Battle Group

A Purpose-Built Helicopter Carrier

HMS Ocean was ordered on 11 May 1993, with Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd winning the contract and subcontracting construction to Kvaerner's civilian yard in Govan, Glasgow. She was laid down on 30 May 1994, launched on 11 October 1995 sponsored by Queen Elizabeth II, and commissioned on 30 September 1998 at HMNB Devonport, at a construction cost of £154 million, a Landing Platform Helicopter designed specifically to support amphibious operations and capable of carrying up to 830 Royal Marines alongside a substantial complement of helicopters.

Straight Into Hurricane Relief

HMS Ocean deployed almost immediately after commissioning for humanitarian relief following Hurricane Mitch, one of the most devastating storms to strike Central America in modern history, off the coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua, a fitting early demonstration of the versatility her design offered beyond purely military operations.

Sierra Leone and the Al Faw Landings

HMS Ocean supported Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone in 2000, joining HMS Illustrious in helping suppress rebel activity with her own embarked forces, and went on to serve as flagship for Operation Telic during the Iraq War in 2003, earning the battle honour Al Faw 2003 for her role in that campaign, working alongside HMS Ark Royal in the helicopter assault role during the initial invasion.

Apache Gunships Into Action From Her Deck

HMS Ocean took part in Operation Unified Protector over Libya in 2011, deploying Apache attack helicopters directly into combat, the first time Apache helicopters had ever been sent into action directly from a Royal Navy ship, a genuinely significant milestone for British naval aviation and a striking demonstration of just how far amphibious helicopter carriers had come since her own commissioning.

Hosting the Olympics

HMS Ocean provided logistics support and accommodation at Greenwich during the London 2012 Olympic Games, a considerably more peaceful assignment than her recent combat deployments, but one that still called on the same fundamental capability: providing a large, self-sufficient floating base wherever it was needed.

Fleet Flagship, Then Commanding an American Task Force

HMS Ocean underwent a major refit between 2012 and 2014, costing £65 million and lasting 15 months, before becoming the Royal Navy's Fleet Flagship in June 2015. In November 2016 she achieved a genuinely remarkable distinction, taking command of United States Task Force 50, the American formation responsible for maritime war fighting in the Persian Gulf, the first time a Royal Navy vessel had ever commanded that particular American task force, a striking symbol of the close and enduring cooperation between the two navies.

Retiring as Brazil's Flagship

HMS Ocean was decommissioned on 27 March 2018 at Devonport, with Queen Elizabeth II herself in attendance, before being purchased by Brazil for £84.6 million and commissioned into the Brazilian Navy as NAM Atlantico on 29 June 2018, where she continues to serve as that navy's flagship, a genuinely fitting continuation for a ship whose entire British career had been defined by exactly the kind of flagship leadership role she now performs for an entirely different fleet.