HMS Bulwark

DESCRIPTION

Accession NumberP378Title (extended title only)HMS BulwarkDescriptionUK Royal Navy – HMS Bulwark (R08)
This plaque is a small plaque with a painted clay piece depicting the badge of the HMS Bulwark. The piece features a sword with a crown resting on the hilt in front of a wavy striped blue and white background. Surrounding this is the circular badge outline used by the Royal Navy and “BULWARK” is written on the top in a gold-colour and placed in a gold-outlined black rectangle. Above this is the Naval crown which features a ship with sails flanking it. There are a few minor chips in the paint.
The back of the plaque is covered in a green felt and a sticker which reads:
BULWARK
CAPTAIN J. DAGLISH 12/1/62
CAPTAIN D. LAW 4/7/65
CAPTAIN B. NOTLEY 15/6/70
DateBetween 1st January 1962 and 31st December 1970ProvenanceThe HMS Bulwark (R08) was a Centaur-class light fleet aircraft carrier used by the Royal Navy. The ship was ordered 17 April 1943 and laid down 10 May 1945 by Harland & Wolff’s Belfast yard. Harland & Wolff is a shipbuilding company established 11 April 1861 by Sir Edward James Harland and Gustav Wilhelm Wolff and is famously responsible for building the Titanic. They are still an active shipbuilding and fabrication company as of 2024. It was launched 22 June 1948 and commissioned 4 November 1954, originally as a light aircraft carrier, but it was recommissioned in 1960 as a commando carrier after undergoing a refitting. It was decommissioned in April 1981 and scrapped in April 1984. There have been three other Royal Navy ship that carry the name HMS Bulwark. The initial HMS Bulwark was launched 23 April 1807 and broken apart in 1826. The second launched 18 October 1899, commissioned 18 March 1902 and destroyed 26 November 1914 by an internal explosion. The HMS Bulwark (L15) that succeeds the HMS Bulwark (R08) was launched 15 November 2001, commissioned 28 April 2005 and is still in service for the Royal Navy as of 2024. The three dates and commanding officers denote the potential origin of the plaque being gifted. The 1962 and 1965 dates can be corroborated by contemporary newspapers and photographs. The 10 January 1962 edition of the states the HMS Bulwark will arrive in Fremantle “to-morrow and will be there until January 26”. A 9 July 1965 edition of the Royal Australian Navy News states the HMS Bulwark will be in Fremantle for a week, arriving 13 July. Captain D. B. Law is also listed as the Commanding Officer. The 1970 visit cannot be corroborated although in June 1970 a five-nation exercise named “Bersatu Padu” was due to begin in Malaysia which the Royal Navy was part of so a visit
during this time is likely. The mayor of the City of Fremantle during all of these visits was Sir Frederick Samson, who held office from 1951–1972.Relevance to the CityShows the long association Fremantle has with the Royal Navy

SubjectRoyal Navy (British)CollectionCivic Collection

INTERNAL

LocationCivic Collection

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