Brazil Is Reportedly Buying the Royal Navy's Only Helicopter Carrier On the CheapThe United Kingdom has reportedly finalized the sale of the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to Brazil for less than a third of what it originally spent to build the ship. The Brazilian Navy looks to be the big winner in the deal, which effectively ends the possibility of the Royal Navy having any interim aircraft carrier capability, no matter how limited, until HMS Queen Elizabeth enters operational service.
On Jan. 2, 2018, U.K. Defence Journal reported that Brazilian Defense Minister Raul Jungmann had confirmed the purchase in December 2017. Brazil will pay almost $115 million for Ocean, but it is unclear if that cost will include any refit or refurbishment of the ship or if the government in Brasilia will have to come up with the entire amount at once. The United Kingdom still has yet to officially decommission the ship, which it expects to do in 2018, but the first rumors of the sale appeared in March 2017.
Throughout her service with the Royal Navy, Ocean has already demonstrated her capabilities to perform this wide array of tasks, most recently arriving in the Caribbean to provide aid to British possessions after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
These diverse capabilities in times of both war and peace have made helicopter carriers and amphibious assault type ships with similar flight decks increasingly popular around the world, especially among countries looking to expand their ability to project power and influence beyond their borders. On top of their more practical functions, this category of ships are often major symbols of national prestige and Ocean herself is presently the Royal Navy's flagship.
If nothing else Brazil gains a very flexible ship, which only entered Royal Navy service in 1993. The ship is less robust that other similar vessels, as it was made to commercial standards and could need significant overhaul before joining the Brazilian Navy. However, between 2013 and 2014, the United Kingdom put Ocean through significant refit that cost nearly $90 million.
The vessel originally cost less than $200 million – but more than $390 million today – meaning that Brazil will get the ship at less than a third of its original price tag. Admiral Ferreira’s assessment that the purchase would be “convenient” would seem to be generous to the British.
Whatever happens, the loss of Ocean will be significant for the Royal Navy, leaving it without an operational carrier capability of any kind as it waits for HMS Queen Elizabeth to reach initial operational capability. The United Kingdom doesn’t expect this to happen until at least 2021, in part due to slow pace of getting the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter into service. As such, the country’s new supercarrier will go to sea for her first patrol with at least some of her air wing made up of U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs.
As such, in the event of any future contingencies or disasters, such as Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and without HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, the United Kingdom will have to rely entirely on ships the quasi-military Royal Fleet Auxiliary, primarily the three Bay-class landing ships, for amphibious support. These smaller ships are significantly less capable than Ocean both in terms of flight and well deck space.
What seems clear is that Brazil is getting the base ship at an absolute steal and that the Royal Navy is still years away from having another operational aircraft carrier.