Britain is building two new 18,500-ton Landing Platform Dock Replacement ships to support the Royal Marines. The first, HMS Albion, will be ready in January 2003 to replace HMS Fearless. The second, HMS Bulwark, was launched on 15 November. Each ship can carry 700 Marines and eight landing craft. Each could carry six Challenger-2 tanks or up to 30 Viking all-terrain vehicles.--Stephen V Cole
