UK Navy fleet hits historic low sparking fears UK ‘cannot be defended’ | UK | News | EUROtoday

The Royal Navy has simply two totally operational battleships with two-thirds of its fleet present process restore work, the MoD has admitted.

Of the six state-of-the-art Type 45 destroyer ships, 4 are at the moment primarily based in Portsmouth present process restore work, leaving Britain severely underprepared at a time of elevated international insecurity.

One of the six, HMS Daring, has spent extra time within the refit yard than at sea because it was commissioned 12 years in the past.

Additionally, of the eight Type-23 Frigates, smaller ships a category under the destroyers, solely six are operational, in response to the MoD.

The figures depart the Royal Navy’s out there fleet of destroyers at their lowest ranges for the reason that programme started over 100 years in the past below the reign of Queen Victoria.

For context, in 1945, the yr the Second World War got here to an finish, the Royal Navy had round 800 destroyers and frigates at its disposal.

The availability of simply eight of the Navy’s 14 battleships being prepared for deployment has left MPs warning that Britain could possibly be left susceptible from each the air and sea as tensions rise internationally.

Mike Martin, the MP for Tunbridge Wells and a member of the defence choose committee, informed The Telegraph: “These reports of only two operational destroyers are extremely concerning. Destroyers provide air defence and with only two destroyers, we simply cannot defend London, let alone the United Kingdom.

“This is something that the defence select committee will be looking into in its first inquiry, which is about the UK’s contribution to European defence. Clearly, if we can’t defend our own homeland, we are not able to contribute to Nato’s defence of Europe.”

Last month, Labour MP Luke Akehurst warned that for Britain to have the ability to defend itself from an assault on London such because the ballistic missile strike carried out by Russia on the Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro, a Type-45 destroyer would must be stationed completely on the river Thames.

The stories of the depleted fleet come at a time when the MoD is conducting a complete defence evaluation to set out a technique for the way the UK will plan for and counter future threats.

Last month, the MoD introduced it was scrapping previous package early in a bid to save lots of £500 million. Among these set to be decommissioned had been two amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and Type 23 frigate, HMS Northumberland.

Critics slammed the transfer, warning it leaves Britain’s fleet additional depleted while supporters famous that none of these being decommissioned was operationally deployable and unlikely to exit to sea earlier than their deliberate retirement.

An MoD spokesman mentioned: “The UK stands fully prepared to defend itself against any threat alongside our Nato allies.

“The Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force are equipped with a range of advanced capabilities to provide a layered approach to air and missile defence – for example, Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers have successfully shot down a Houthi rebel ballistic missile and attack drones as part of efforts to protect shipping in the Red Sea.

“As the Defence Secretary John Healey recently announced, the UK will lead a new initiative with Nato allies to integrate and strengthen our collective air and missile defence.”