Savoia,
Many thanks for taking the time to respond, however belatedly, to my original question!
With the 1960s/1970s being a bit before my time, I wasn't sure whether the Al II had been a prominent UK camera ship - I certainly hadn't come across references to it before. Your research would suggest that I perhaps hadn't looked thoroughly enough!
The cynic in me suspected that Francophobia may have played a part in limiting its success/prominence in the UK - of course such attitudes would never prevail today...!
Simon