'Mothballed' ship costs £2m a year

A FORMER Royal Navy flagship is costing taxpayers £2million a year to maintain, even though it will never see active service again and is effectively worthless.

- BY STEPHEN BEECH

'Ghost ship' HMS Albion seen in 2004

HMS Albion's weekly maintenance costs £38,500, but the warship will never go to sea before it is decommissioned in 2033.

The amphibious warfare vessel was launched in 2001 by the Princess Royal, but in 2010 its future first came under the microscope in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Defence Secretary John Healey said in November 2024 both Albion and sister ship Bulwark would be taken out of service last March to save money.

The government calculated a constructive loss of £428.4m after the decision to bring forward their out-of-service dates.