UK-Dutch Plan for Amphibious Landing Ships Launched at NATO Summit
The United Kingdom is teaming up with the Netherlands to produce a fleet of new amphibious landing ships. The plan ties British Royal Marines and Dutch Korps Mariniers even closer together after decades of pre-existing close cooperation. The Maritime Executive reported last week on the pending announcement, and a formal announcement about the shipbuilding plan was made at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7.
The plan appears to be more ambitious than previously thought. Both the UK and the Netherlands will each get four ships, to be operated as national assets, but frequently deployed together, whether in the High North or in the Caribbean, where both countries retain a sovereign footprint.
The ships are to be based on the pre-existing Damen Enforcer 15628 design, and revive a concept developed under the Anglo-Dutch Project Catherina, which the Dutch kept alive after the British withdrew in 2024. The new ships, 160 meters long (525 feet) and 15,000 tonnes, are larger than existing designs floated by Damen, but clearly take advantage of Damen’s previous experience.
The ships, it seems, will have a well deck from which to launch two landing craft and side hoists to launch raiding craft. The flight deck will have two helicopter spots, and a hangar able to accommodate four medium-sized helicopters. Whether from the flight or well deck, or using the davits, a variety of both sea and air autonomous vehicles can be sent on their way.
It is not clear how up-to-date the plans are for the defense of these platforms from both sea and aerial drones. The Enforcer 15628 design has a 76mm forward and two 30mm guns, a Phalanx for close-in protection, and a decoy system, but apparently no vertical missile launch system. Whether, as currently configured, this would be sufficient for such a ship to make a transit alone, for example, through the Bab el Mandeb, is no doubt a point of contention being pondered as the design of the class is finalized. Vulnerability to drones is already a global constant, not restricted any longer to narrows or choke points.
The configuration of the ships will make them both unique but also highly suited to the launch of autonomous systems, and one can well envisage that in times to come there will be a tussle for priority use of these platforms between those wanting to thicken up the capability of task forces conducting conventional operations, and their use as amphibious launch platforms for marines. They would, for example, be ideally suited for mounting the mine clearance force with its autonomous equipment, which is currently deployed on the RFA Lyme Bay (L3007). Each ship can accommodate about 500 marines, depending on the duration of the deployment.
One suspects that an order for four ships will be insufficient to meet the various demands from naval operational planners, but at least in the interim, the cooperation agreement between the UK and the Netherlands may be able to alleviate some of the pressure at times of stress.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
The British announcement indicated that the UK’s ships would be built in the UK. This would be a good follow-on order for Navantia’s Harland & Wolf yard in Belfast, once the fleet solid support ships are completed, but there may be competition for the work from shipyards not too far distant from Manchester, such as a rejuvenated Balaena Cammel Laird operation.
Leveraging Damen’s experience in the area reduces risk, design and development time, and budgets permitting, will speed getting these ships into service. This will be particularly appreciated by the Royal Marines, who in effect have lost much of their amphibious lift capacity with the early retirement of HMS Albion (L14) and HMS Bulwark (L15), with the Bay Class landing ships operated by the RFA likely to be soon following in their wake.
