RN Paying off ships
Posted: 06 Jan 2024 21:10
The Royal Navy is apparently about to announce the decision to pay off a number of ships, including two Type 23 frigates and their main amphibious ships
HMS Argyll and HMS Westminster are to be paid off in the first half of this year to free manpower for the Type 26 frigates.
Westminster, an ASW-role Type 23, went through a 100 million pound refit in 2022 to extend her life and update her weapons and electronics, but is now to be paid off.
Argyll, a general purpose Type 23, had undergone the life extension process which would have seen a planned decommissioning in the late 2020s, but is to be scrapped early, again to free up manpower.
The amphibious ships Albion and Bulwark are to be placed into 'reserve', basically laid up likely never to go to sea again (think the fleet tied up at the dolphins in Athol Bay in Sydney Harbour in the 1970s for the RAN equivalent), with it likely to take months if not well over a year to make them fit to go to sea again.
The decision comes down to two issues.
The RN does not have enough people to man their ships (shades of the RAN) and the Treasury refuses to fund the RN to the extent that its commitments require.
The two Type 23s to go are 10% of the RN surface combat force, and Iron Duke and Lancaster, the remaining general purpose Type 23s, are likely to follow Argyll within the next 12-128 months, meaning the RN will lose 4 frigates before the first Type 26 commissions.
The Type 23 force is elderly, with the ships intended for an original 18-year life span, worked hard in the North Atlantic and replaced quickly. They have all been extended in service for up to twice their original design life, while repeated delays to order the Type 26 has meant they are working far harder, and far longer than ever anticipated.
Basically, one of the keystone naval contingents in NATO is shrinking fast, and at this rate, with the exception of the SSNs, SSBNs and carriers, will be surpassed by the RAN in surface combatants. We currently have 11 surface combatants, the RN has 19, but will drop to 15 by the end of 2024.
With the paying off of Albion and Bulwark, we will already have a larger amphibious capability.
Mike
HMS Argyll and HMS Westminster are to be paid off in the first half of this year to free manpower for the Type 26 frigates.
Westminster, an ASW-role Type 23, went through a 100 million pound refit in 2022 to extend her life and update her weapons and electronics, but is now to be paid off.
Argyll, a general purpose Type 23, had undergone the life extension process which would have seen a planned decommissioning in the late 2020s, but is to be scrapped early, again to free up manpower.
The amphibious ships Albion and Bulwark are to be placed into 'reserve', basically laid up likely never to go to sea again (think the fleet tied up at the dolphins in Athol Bay in Sydney Harbour in the 1970s for the RAN equivalent), with it likely to take months if not well over a year to make them fit to go to sea again.
The decision comes down to two issues.
The RN does not have enough people to man their ships (shades of the RAN) and the Treasury refuses to fund the RN to the extent that its commitments require.
The two Type 23s to go are 10% of the RN surface combat force, and Iron Duke and Lancaster, the remaining general purpose Type 23s, are likely to follow Argyll within the next 12-128 months, meaning the RN will lose 4 frigates before the first Type 26 commissions.
The Type 23 force is elderly, with the ships intended for an original 18-year life span, worked hard in the North Atlantic and replaced quickly. They have all been extended in service for up to twice their original design life, while repeated delays to order the Type 26 has meant they are working far harder, and far longer than ever anticipated.
Basically, one of the keystone naval contingents in NATO is shrinking fast, and at this rate, with the exception of the SSNs, SSBNs and carriers, will be surpassed by the RAN in surface combatants. We currently have 11 surface combatants, the RN has 19, but will drop to 15 by the end of 2024.
With the paying off of Albion and Bulwark, we will already have a larger amphibious capability.
Mike