THE Barrow-built ship HMS Albion is set to mark its 20th anniversary since its launch back in 2001. Since then, she has played a pivotal role with the Royal Navy having held the position of Royal Navy flagship and flagship of the UK Responsive Force Task Group up until January 27 of this year when Albion transferred Fleet Flagship duty to HMS Queen Elizabeth. Launch of the Landing Platform Dock HMS Albion .Pic: Crowds gather for the naming and launch of Albion.RICHARD ENGLISH REF: 0079624. The assault ship had been flagship since March 2018, deploying to the Indo-Pacific for 10 months; to the Baltic for major multi-national exercises; and latterly to the Mediterranean leading NATO security patrols and experimental warfare trials.