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Construction of the first Bulwark began in 1780, but the keel was never laid down, and the order was subsequently cancelled.
The second HMS Bulwark was a 74-gun frigate that took part in the blockade of Rochefort in 1813 and fought in the British-American War in 1814-15. She was broken up in 1826.
The third Bulwark was intended to be a screwship. Bulwark was laid down at Chatham on 8th March 1859, but construction was suspended in the same month. She was finally broken up in 1872.
The fourth HMS Bulwark was a wooden 121-gun ship-of-the-line launched on 7th March 1860 at Pembroke. She was soon made obsolete by the launching of the iron-hulled battleship HMS Warrior. After initial sea trials lasting into 1861, she was never completed for full active duty. She became part of a training establishment for boys, finally being paid off in 1919.
The fifth Bulwark was a Formidable-class battleship launched in 1899. She had an armament of 4 x 12-inch guns in pairs, sixteen x 12 pounder guns and four torpedo tubes. Her length was approximately 400 feet. She had a displacement of 15,000 tonnes and a crew of 750. In 1908 she was commanded by the youngest junior battleship Captain at that time, none other than the legendary Captain Robert F Scott of Antarctic fame. The same year she was allocated to the Channel Fleet, before being transferred to the Home Fleet and then consigned to the Reserve in 1910. In 1912, she was recommissioned to the 5th Battle Squadron and from the outbreak of war in 1914 carried out numerous patrols in the English Channel. Sadly on 26th November 1914, while loading ammunition at Sheerness she was ripped apart by an incredibly violent and powerful internal explosion. Out of her complement of 750, just 12 sailors survived.
The sixth Bulwark was a 22,000 tonne Centaur-class Light Fleet Carrier.
The most recent ship to bear the name, HMS Bulwark (L15), is an amphibious assault ship that has yet to commission into the Royal Navy as of early 2004.
HMS Bulwark (Incomplete)
HMS Bulwark (1807-1826)
HMS Bulwark (Incomplete)
HMS Bulwark (1860-1919)
HMS Bulwark (1899-1914)
HMS Bulwark (1948-1981)
HMS Bulwark (2004-present)