Cash-starved Navy forced to keep fleet in port
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.BRITANNIA NO longer rules the waves. Only three warships will be patrolling the high seas this Christmas. Unprecedented cost-cutting has brought almost every ship in the fleet into dock to save money.
Senior Admiralty sources have told the Independent on Sunday that the Navy is facing a pounds 500m budget deficit which has crippled the fleet's operational capabilities.
The Navy's drug-enforcement patrols in the West Indies have been cancelled and all ships have been withdrawn from the Pacific and Mediterranean.
Senior sources also claim the commanding officers of the Navy's 20 remaining frigates have been ordered to cruise below 15 knots in order to save fuel. Maximum speed for a frigate is 30 knots. John Spellar, the Armed Forces minister, has confirmed that 14 ships have been withdrawn from exercise. An anti-submarine exercise scheduled for January has also been cancelled.
Money is so short that the Navy has been forced to tow the decommissioned destroyer HMS Birmingham to a dock in Plymouth to strip it for spare parts in order to keep its remaining 11 Type 42 destroyers going.
Senior Ministry of Defence sources claim the measures are a hurried attempt to keep the fleet from busting its budget.
An MoD official explained: "There is just no flexibility in the budget. Clearly operations must come first. There's a finite budget. We've already overspent it and therefore the fleet has to remain in dock to conserve fuel in case there is something to which we have to respond."
This Christmas the only surface ships we will have at sea will be HMS Somerset which will be making a goodwill visit to South Africa, HMS Dumbarton Castle, which is on a two-year tour of the Falklands, and HMS Exeter, on Armilla Patrol in the Gulf.
Last night Ian Duncan Smith, shadow defence minister, said: "This is Labour's hidden disaster for our Armed Forces. They have taken pounds 954m out of the defence budget on the premise of making savings. But savings haven't been made and the Treasury is still taking the money."
"The defence budget is now in crisis and most of it is self-inflicted," he added.
Mike Critchley, author of British Warships and Auxiliaries, published next week, said: "The Navy is overcommitted, undermanned and underfunded."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments