Lacking money, the British Navy sold its flagship at a low price.
The British Navy's sadness after the Type 45 Daring destroyer had to stay ashore for repairs has not yet subsided, but they continue to lack forces.
Official information from the Royal Navy recently said that they will resell the large helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean (L12) to the Brazilian Navy around September this year for 84 million pounds.
It is worth mentioning that the HMS Ocean only officially served in the fleet since September 30, 1998, meaning that by the time it was decommissioned, it had been in service for only 20 years, a very short period of time for such a huge and expensive warship.
While the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has yet to complete sea trials and the older generation aircraft carrier Invisible has been retired, HMS Ocean is currently the flagship of the Royal Navy's surface fleet.
Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean (L12).
HMS Ocean is 203.4 m long; 35 m wide; 6.5 m draft; 21,500 tons full load displacement, it is the only ship of its class. The crew consists of 285 people plus 185 aircrew, capacity for up to 830 marines and 40 landing craft.
The ship is equipped with 2 Crossley Pielstick engines, giving a maximum speed of 18 knots (33 km/h) and a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h), which is relatively slow. Maximum operating range is 8,000 nautical miles (13,000 km).
The ship's electronic system includes a Type 997 Artisan 3-parameter medium-range air surveillance radar, a Type 1008 maritime navigation radar and two Type 1007 flight control radars, electronic countermeasures systems, sensors and trap launchers.
HMS Ocean's armament includes four 30mm DS-30M Mk 2 automatic guns, three Phalanx CIWS close-in weapons systems, three miniguns and other 12.7mm heavy machine guns.
The large flight deck and hangar allow HMS Ocean to carry up to 18 helicopters of various types, including very large ones such as the CH-47 Chinook, AW159 Wildcat or AH-64D Longbow attack helicopter.
US Marines aboard HMS Ocean during a joint exercise.
On the Brazilian Navy side, the HMS Ocean will replace the A12 Sao Paulo aircraft carrier (formerly the French-purchased Foch aircraft carrier) that was recently decommissioned as the flagship of the South American nation's surface fleet, helping them maintain their strength at sea.
However, there are concerns that this may not be a bargain for the Brazilian Navy because the selling price is too cheap for a giant ship, which often comes with repair and maintenance costs many times higher than the purchase price.
