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The Spanish Royal Navy spent 65 million pounds, or about $105 million at 2012 exchange rates, to modernize the HMS Ocean, one of its main amphibious assault ships. The work was carried out at the Devonport dockyard in Plymouth and involved key ship systems.
The refit included upgrades to the radar, gun, and command system, as well as work in the living quarters. The contract was announced in 2012, and the ship returned to duty in July 2014. Four years later, the Royal Navy retired it and agreed to sell it to Brazil.
The Royal Navy Invested 65 Million Pounds in HMS Ocean
The modernization contract was announced in December 2012 and was worth 65 million pounds. The British Defense Ministry awarded the work to Babcock at Devonport in an operation that also helped preserve hundreds of jobs tied to the dockyard and its suppliers.
The refit was expected to take 15 months. It called for the installation of about 1,200 meters of new piping and the application of roughly 100,000 liters of paint.
The Ship Was Retired Four Years Later
After returning to service, HMS Ocean continued taking part in international operations. In 2017, it spent several months deployed in the Middle East and later took part in NATO activities in the Mediterranean.
That same year, it was sent to the Caribbean to take part in Britain’s response after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The ship returned to Plymouth in December 2017 after completing its deployment.
The Royal Navy officially retired HMS Ocean on March 27, 2018, four years after it returned to service following the 65 million-pound modernization. The ship entered service in 1998 and logged about two decades in the British fleet.
At that point, the United Kingdom was reorganizing its fleet and moving ahead with the addition of the new aircraft carriers in the Queen Elizabeth class.
Brazil Bought HMS Ocean for 84 Million Pounds
The United Kingdom put the ship up for sale, and Brazil expressed interest. The deal was announced on February 19, 2018, before the official retirement, for about 84 million pounds.
The sale was handled by the Defence Equipment Sales Authority, the agency responsible for British military equipment sales. The Defense Ministry said the proceeds would be reinvested in defense.
The deal also included ship conversion work, funded by Brazil, involving British companies such as Babcock and BAE Systems. The Brazilian Navy commissioned it on June 29, 2018, at a ceremony in Devonport. It was renamed Atlântico and became the flagship of the Brazilian fleet.