News blog

27th June is Armed Forces Day - a fine idea which aims to get the public to recognise and support the servicemen of this country who have given much, particularly over the last 12 years of this decaying Labour government. However the background to this event is an increasingly bloody war in Afghanistan and forces stretched to breaking point while the defence budget is effectively being cut by 10%. The MoD call this "balancing the budget", we call it criminal underfunding of our nation's defences that endanger our servicemen and ultimately all of us. Our spineless politicians take easy option when money is tight - cut defence spending in the middle of a war! The RN will probably bear the brunt of the cuts due to the pressing needs of troops in Afghanistan and the lunatic commitment to buy more useless Eurofighters. In an increasingly 'sea-blind' nation, the RN lacks the media coverage which is about the only thing that actually prompts this government to take action on defence issues. No doubt funding the fighting men in Afghanistan should be a priority but funding the RN is about our long term security as an island nation.

Patrick Seurre has set up a new petition on the Number 10 website urging the Prime Minister to stop all spending on the Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3. As Lewis Page writes in The Register, the Eurofighter programme represents all that is wrong with British armed forces. Way over-budget, years late and of little use or relevance to the needs of today. It is just a pretty toy for the RAF and a work creation scheme. We have been critical of this £20 billion programme for a long time which has produced a short-range air defence fighter which has no real use, can't be converted to fly from the RN's carriers (where it could actually be useful) and its vast expense is leaving the RN without the ships it needs and the Army without equipment it needs for current conflicts. We urge you to please sign the petition and stop this criminal waste of money.

We have recently set up a news feed on this site that searches for stories, blogposts, tweets or photos on the web relating to the Royal Navy. It is not exhaustive but provides a useful resource if you want to know more about the Royal Navy day to day. Coverage ranges from major news stories to discussion board opinions through to the more personal or informal comments made on Twitter. This service is entirely automated so occasionally you may find irrelevant or odd stories in the mix but otherwise it will provide good coverage of Royal Navy affairs. It will generally upate about 6 hours. Views expressed in items from this feed may not reflect the views of the owners of this website. Have a look at it here.

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Sign the petition to keep the 11 frigates at Devonport here.

Unnamed sources in the MoD have stated that the 11 frigates based at Plymouth will be re-located to Portsmouth. The MoD press office denies this but Plymouth MP, Gary Streeter is sure the decision has already been made and called for the government to "have the guts to make this announcement then Plymouth can plan for its future". At first glance this may seem a fairly rational decision as it saves money to base similar ships together. However underlying this decision is a shabby political agenda. The Brown/Blair government have already devastated the RN, and as it shrinks in size it becomes hard to justify operating 3 naval bases. Apart from the unfair economic loss to Plymouth, from a strategic point of view it is unwise to 'put all your eggs in one basket'. Many RN personnel live in and around Plymouth and forcing them to uproot to Portsmouth will just add to the exodus of experienced personnel leaving the RN, fed up with their working conditions. In the longer term we cling to the hope that an honourable government will one day revive the RN and Portsmouth alone will not be able to support a fleet of the size Britain needs. Although the amphibious ships, some submarines and Sea Training will remain at Devonport the foreseeable future, Devonport looks ultimately doomed at the hands of the 'Scottish Mafia' in Westminster. Let's hope for a change of government before the largest naval facility in Europe is bulldozed and converted in to riverside apartments for the rich.

Save the Royal Navy is now on Twitter (under the name of NavyLookout). Tweets will focus on naval news and issues affecting the RN. Follow us by clicking here.

There is an urgent need for the RN to be given the funds to start designing and ordering new mine warfare vessels. The (pitifully few) vessels currently in service are due to start being decommissioned in 2017 and will all be gone by 2026. A few simple cheap sea mines can have a devastating effect on naval operations or paralyse merchant shipping and it is crucial that the RN does not lose its world-renowned expertise and equipment to counter this threat. Although unglamorous and low profile, mine warfare vessels are a vital part of a balanced fleet. The bizarre and disjointed planning and procurement policies of the current government means the RN could be in the ludicrous position of having billion pound aircraft carriers unable to operate or even put to sea because it has no (relatively cheap) minehunters to keep ports and shipping lanes open.

In the latest broadside from the bureaucrats in Brussels they are proposing that the UK hands over control of it's aircraft carriers to the EU. In addition they want the Falklands, Cyprus and Gibraltar to come under their control. It may sound like an April fool's joke but fortunately most sane people in Britain would agree this would be a disaster because; 1. Europe is already protected by NATO which has been a highly effective tool in our defence since World War II thanks largely to generous subsidy by the US. (Contrast this with the in-fighting, confusion and chaos of EU foreign policy which results in paralysis and inaction in times of crisis - such as the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.) The idea of an EU military is a joke, any EU navy would remained tied up in port by squabbles in Brussels 2. Although the RN is in decline, it is remains by far the most experienced and respected navy in Europe and it's efficiency and operations would only be damaged by outside interference. 3. British lives have been sacrificed in defence of the Falklands because the islanders wanted to remain British and not part of a 'European empire'. 4. This proposal has little to do with the needs of Europe, rather anti-American sentiment and the ambitions of the unelected and unaccountable Brussels bureaucrats.

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox recently spoke out in parliament with some harsh truths about the RN and made a fine case in defence of the aircraft carriers.
"The argument against the carriers is based on the false assumption that state-on-state conflict is a thing of the past. Unfortunately, history shows differently. Possessing the aircraft carriers in the 21st century will allow us to project power, influence and force in a way that would not otherwise be possible. In this complex world, British interests and the defence of the UK have no geographical boundaries, in the way that perhaps they did in the past ...the Government have presided over delay after delay in the two carriers. They have now been in planning for twice the duration of the second world war! I call on the Government to do everything they can to ensure their timely entry into service. We might ask why, when the Government are talking about bringing forward spending projects as part of the fiscal stimulus, major defence projects are being put back? The current delay is only the tip of the iceberg in this Government's treatment of the Royal Navy. The journey that has led us to where our Navy is today has been one of serial betrayal by the Government."

An example of the criticism of the carrier programme in the media included this utterly inaccurate drivel in the Irish Independent.

The descendant of Captain Hardy, who spoke out against the possible sale of the world's oldest ship; HMS Victory, can report that the Ministry of Defence will remain the key funder of the famous ship. In September 2008, the MoD announced a study into the possible decommissioning of the ship that lead to embarrassing and damning reaction from the public. The successful campaign means this iconic warship is safe but the public must ensure the government continues to fund the ship in the future. Major changes are also on the way with a new national naval heritage policy run primarily through a "National museum for the Royal Navy". Signaling an end to the "Naval heritage depression", this is a small glimmer of hope while the RN faces some of the toughest times in its history.

With the depressing news that Russia has announced it intends to further re-arm and add to its nuclear arsenal the MoD is taking risks with over-optimistic plans to replace the trident nuclear deterrent. The Brown government's usual muddled thinking on defence is apparent as they dither over whether to build 4 submarines (the number needed) or to cut corners and force the RN to get by with 3. The current Trident submarines will decommission around 2024 and with nothing yet on the drawing board there is just 15 years to design and build their replacement. It is possible but would require a programme that runs smoothly and with out delays, something the MoD has failed to manage with virtually all major projects in the last 20 years. With no slack or contingency, it is very likely that in the 2020s the UK will be unable to maintain a continuous deterrent at sea.

The MARS (Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability) programme to build new support ships for the Royal Navy has been stopped by the MoD as they struggle to match spending to their inadequate budget. Stopping the MARS programme will have serious consequences for the RN. They will either will have to rely on elderly ships which do not meet modern environmental standards or make do without support ships which will drastically reduce their global reach. The RN is a world leader in replenishment at sea techniques (the transfer of oil and stores from support ships to warships) which have allowed the RN to operate all over the globe and this capability is being eroded. It further underlines the lack of a coherent naval strategy - the UK is building aircraft carriers that will be short of escorting warships and will now be lacking support ships.

Dr Colin White, Captain RNR, director of the Royal Naval Museum died of Cancer Last month. He was one of the country's leading experts on the life and achievements of Britain's greatest admiral, Horatio Nelson. He led the Trafalgar 200 Celebrations and became one of the world's most influential naval commentators. The descendants of Captain Hardy, will lead a tribute to Dr White at Portsmouth Cathedral on Monday 2nd March 2009. His death is a great loss to the naval community as the number of naval historians is dwindling. It is also a blow to those concerned about the fate of HMS Victory as Dr White was a great authority on the history of Nelson's flagship.

The RN is celebrating 100 years of naval aviation. The RN's airman have a proud history and played a vital part in victory in World War II, the Falklands, and made major contributions in the former Yugoslavia, both Gulf wars and currently in Afganistan. The RN desperately needs to retain control of its own aircraft but the RAF is hell-bent on removing this vital war-winning capability. In fact, disbanding the RAF would make more sense in the modern world. Thanks to government mismanagement and RAF scheming, the FAA is now a helicopter-only force suffering from lack of funds and over-work in Afganistan. The RN's Harrier pilots have been merged into a Frankenstien " Joint Harrier Force" squadron controlled by the RAF which is itself under threat of premature retirement. There is a shortage of qualified instructors for the Harrier and it remains to be seen where the RN will find experienced pilots to operate from the new carriers.

News that SSBN (Nuclear missile submarine) HMS Vanguard collided with a French SSBN Le Triomphant is yet more bad news for the RN. Vanguard recently completed an expensive refit and if she is needs significant time in dock for repairs this will put severe strain on HMS Vengeance and Vigilant (the 2 currently operational SSBNs) to maintain the deterrent. Thankfully a major disaster was narrowly avoided and the fact that it happened at all is a testament to the stealth and quiet of these submarines. In fact these collisions have happened before and it is not a real cause for panic. The exact details of the accident are unlikely to emerge for 30 years (and with good reason as operating areas and procedures need to be kept secure) but it would seem like a million-to-one unlucky chance that the 2 subs should come into contact in the vast ocean. Meanwhile CND, the SNP and the misguided 'peace protesters' use this as an excuse to question the need for the deterrent that has quietly prevented world war for more than 60 years.

It appears that the RN's Antarctic patrol ship HMS Endurance, which suffered severe flooding and engine damage in December will be returned to the UK on a heavy lift vessel and will be repaired for further service. This small, but significant decision, signals that the UK remains interested and committed to the research and science in the region and protection of the Falkland Islands.

The news that VT have sold their shipbuilding business to BAe systems means that there is now only one company that can build warships in the UK. This government's disregard of the RN and its industrial infrastructure means VT were so pessimistic about the future they were happy to sell. The BAe monopoly which has gradually swallowed Yarrow, Vickers and now Vosper Thornycroft Shipbuilding is Europe's largest defence company which might be handy in global competition terms but for the RN the idea of "competitive tendering" for new vessels has gone forever. The MoD seems blithely happy with this arrangement, in fact encouraging the merger in 2008 to build the aircraft carriers. The spectacular decline of british shipbuilding had it roots in post-war complacency but most recently, the lack of orders for warships in the early 1990s was a big factor in the termination of shipbuilding at Swan Hunter, Cammell Laird and Harland and Wolff. Both the current and previous government are responsible for this mess. Next time the RN orders a warship BAe can simply name their price, free from the inconvenience of competition. BAe do not exactly have a recent track record that suggests the taxpayer will get value for money with both the Astute submarine and Type 45 destroyer programmes late and considerably over the original budget.

When you've just spent £650 million on a single ship, you can expect your public relations department to make sure her arrival is trumpeted in the press. HMS Daring's arrival has been covered widely in the media with much made of her wonderful accommodation, 'green' credentials and high technology. Undoubtedly she is a great addition to the fleet and the Type 45 programme appears finally to be delivering successfully. But while the media reprints the MoD's upbeat press release it is important to keep things in context. Late and over-budget, she is the first of only 6 ships (replacing a class of 14 Type 42 destroyers). She is under-equipped having no automated CIWS close-in weapons system (such as Phalanx or Goalkeeper). She is not fitted with any anti-ship missiles or the Tomahawk missiles as originally intended (surely a vital weapon particularly relevant to today's conflicts). Her crew of 195 is an absolute bare minimum and even with much automation they would be very stretched in a war situation or in event of battle damage. Anyway God bless her and all who sail in her. Lets hope she and her sisters can cope with the heavy demands that will undoubtedly be placed on them.

John Hutton, the new Secretary of State for Defence, appears to have lied when providing excuses for delaying the construction of the RN's 2 new aircraft carriers. One of the reasons he gave to parliament was that that by delaying the carriers they would then come into service in 2016 at the same time as the F35 Joint Strike Fighter being developed in the US. However JSF manufacturer Lockheed Martin insist they could deliver them by 2014. This kind of dithering over defence procurement further undermines Britains reputation abroad, particularly in the eyes of the new US president. Why can't Hutton just be honest and admit the government simply will not provide sufficient funds for the defence needs of the UK? This delay will mean the RN has to carry on using ageing and outdated ships while industry across the UK will suffer from the disrupted schedule.