Royal Navy warship HMS Iron Duke quietly ‘withdrawn’ to depart Britain with simply 5 lively frigates | EUROtoday

The Royal Navy’s lively frigate fleet has reportedly shrunk to simply 5 vessels after HMS Iron Duke was successfully taken out of service, regardless of no official decommissioning announcement.

The Type 23 warship has been stripped of its weapons and sensors and has not been operational at sea since final October, in line with specialist information web site Navy Lookout.

This growth comes because the Ministry of Defence (MoD) progresses plans to switch its Type 23 frigates, together with HMS Iron Duke, with a brand new era of warships. Eight anti-submarine warfare Type 26 frigates are anticipated to affix the fleet earlier than 2030, complemented by 5 general-purpose Type 31 frigates.

The modernisation goals to construct a “hybrid” power, integrating crewed ships with drones and different superior know-how, a imaginative and prescient outlined by First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins.

The determination to successfully sideline HMS Iron Duke follows the federal government’s affirmation final November {that a} deliberate conversion venture for the vessel had been cancelled.

Defence minister Luke Pollard said on the time: “Given the platform’s remaining service life, the time required to complete the conversion, and competing operational priorities, the benefits of proceeding did not justify the additional cost or extended period out of service.”

Responding to inquiries concerning the warship’s reported withdrawal, an MoD spokesperson mentioned on Monday: “The Royal Navy keeps planned out-of-service dates under continual review as part of routine force planning, balancing operational requirements and affordability. Any decommissioning decisions will be announced in the usual way.”

The spokesperson added: “Through the Strategic Defence Review, we are building a new hybrid Navy – investing in world-class submarines and cutting-edge warships, transforming our aircraft carriers, and introducing autonomous vessels to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond.”