BNS Atlántico (A-140)

BNS Atlántico (A-140) was built in Barrow-in-Furnace in the UK by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd which later became BAE Systems Marine. The ship was ordered by The Royal Navy in May 1993 and was commissioned in September 1998 as HMS Ocean (LPH01).

HMS Ocean provided The Royal Navy with an amphibious helicopter carrier. The ship had the capacity to carry 12 EH101 Merlin and 6 Lynx helicopters The flight deck was 170 metres long and 32.6 metres wide, with 2 aircraft lifts.

While with The Royal Navy the ship with a complement of 300 Royal Marines and 400 crew was part of the UK’s task force that deployed in the March 2004 Operation “Iraqi Freedom”.

MS Ocean was sold to the Brazilian Navy and commissioned as BNS Atlántico (A-140) in June 2018.

In November 2020 it was reported by the Defesa Aerea Naval website that Atlántico (A-140) had been reclassified as a multipurpose aircraft carrier and was able to operate with fixed winged medium altitude long endurance unarmed aircraft.