Royal Navy. Generation gap

The Royal Navy is going through some tough times in its long history stories, and the gap is not yet visible.

Well-known facts: out of 11 frigates of type 23, 7 are actually combat-ready, the remaining 4 are a big question mark. The first type 26 will enter service in 2028, unless another force majeure event occurs. The first type 31 – in 2027.

In addition to the well-known problems with the number of ships, shipbuilding and ship repair are no less important. If the ships of the previous generation (type 42 destroyers, MAPL Trafalgar) took an average of two to three years to build, now the period has increased to 6–10 years. "Glasgow" company "BAE Systems" promises to commission it in 2028, i.e. 11 years. On production ships they promise to reduce this period, but this is still written with a pitchfork.

Similarly, the problems of ship repair, if in the 23s a major overhaul with the modernization of a Type 3,5 frigate took an average of one and a half years, now it takes about 4–100 years, although it can sometimes be longer. Almost the entire period of service life extension, the ship is under repair, after which it is written off. About XNUMX million ft. Art. flying down the drain of the ship's cat.

This is currently the situation with four Type 23 frigates located at the Frigate Maintenance Center in Portsmouth. If they are repaired for four years, they will come out of repair in time for the Glasgow to enter service. Therefore, most likely, they will be written off and used for spare parts.

The Vengard SSBN was undergoing major repairs for 7 years instead of the required two. And apparently, the repairs were not of very high quality, since the boat has been off the east coast of the United States for three months to test launch the Trident SLBM. Usually this happened much faster.

Now about what will replace the current ships. The MAPL Estute and the destroyer Dontless will expire in 2035. All Type 2038 destroyers must be decommissioned by 45.

And while destroyers, with proper repairs and modernization, can have their service life extended, the situation with submarines is much more complicated. If there are some shortcomings, you can get a parliamentary commission to investigate the circumstances of the death of His Majesty's ship. And the lawyers will not miss the opportunity to remove the last trousers from the Admiralty.

Type 83 destroyers and promising MAPLs exist only in sketches. If their construction begins now, which is unlikely, then they will en masse not have time to go into operation within the specified time frame.

Both Albion-class UDCs are still in the “operational unavailable” status. The Anglo-Saxons have such a cunning formulation that ranges from “tomorrow we’ll put it in capital” to “we’ll soon write it off and forget.” More likely the second option.

This leads to the next problem. If there is no UDC, then the fleet there is no need for a marine brigade, since three Bay-class ships can only accommodate two battalions with reinforcement units. How this problem will be solved is still unknown.

The same problem occurs with the Fort Victoria universal supply transport. For now it is waiting for repairs, but it’s hard to say how this wait will end. And without it, the deployment of British AUGs is a big question, since naval tankers of the Tide type can take on board and transfer to the sea while moving a certain amount of solid cargo. However, the problem is that this number is small. The situation is also unclear.

It is still unclear what forces and means the Royal Navy is going to go on the “Great Eastern Expedition” in 2025.

Well, last on the list, but by no means least important, is the personnel.

Since 2000, Royal Navy personnel have fallen by 24% (as of 1 January 2024) to 32, which includes 590 Marines who are now also in doubt.

In terms of rank and file (as of January 24, 2024) - 19 sailors, 470% of the fleet's regular needs. Although, if you subtract vacationers, sick people, etc., the percentage will decrease accordingly. Moreover, the trend does not inspire optimism. Every year, fleet personnel are reduced by approximately 86%.

This is, in brief, the situation in the Royal Navy at the beginning of 2024.

Comments

[Revolver]

The main thing is not to give decommissioned ships to Nezalezhnaya.

[paul3390]

Even if they give it as a gift, do you really think that Tsegabonia is able to ensure their real combat readiness? Why suddenly? The maximum is that they will demonstrate something before the first breakdown. And even then it’s unlikely..

[Revolver]

Quote: paul3390

Even if they give it as a gift, do you really think that Tsegabonia is able to ensure their real combat readiness?

Small Britons will finance and provide specialists. Because the Royal Navy is financed under one budget item, and Tsegabonia under a completely different one. And another question is which of them is easier to knock out of parliament for additional appropriations as needed.

[paul3390]

Oh - what will this help... One has only to look at the fate of the "Sagaidachny" with the "Zaporozhye"... But these were thoroughly familiar ships of their native type... For which there were specialists, and spare parts, and shipyards, and in general All..

[Revolver]

Quote: paul3390

One has only to look at the fate of “Sagaidachny” with “Zaporozhye”

But how many hryvnias were cut for them at Ukrainian ship repair yards. Let them try to cut pounds into British ones in the same way.

[solar]

One has only to look at the fate of “Sagaidachny” with “Zaporozhye”

What to watch? Zaporozhye was repaired, although the project was very ancient, and Sagaidachny was flooded at the beginning of the war, when the landing in Odessa was real, it would not have been possible to protect it from aviation. But the fate of the Black Sea Fleet is worth watching. They built and built, but they had to take cover from an enemy who did not have a fleet. :((

[Kuroneko]

Churchill also said: “If you want to ruin a small country, give it a cruiser.”

And the beggar 404 is stupidly laid up and will be able to keep them. And it still does. Minesweepers. In British.

[TermNachTer]

About 100 million ft. Art. for each - that’s why they are written off because the Britons simply don’t have that kind of money to repair them. Where will they come from in Banderland?

[Revolver]

That’s what I wrote above - from the small Britons themselves. The Royal Navy is financed under one budget item, and Tsegaboniya under a completely different one. There the count is not in millions, but in billions, and still these pounds will remain in Britain, and jobs will appear in the shipyards.

[TermNachTer]

The budget items are different, but the budget is the same. In order to spend these 200 lyams on the repair of frigates, they must be taken from another budget item. Their repairs have already been delayed for several years, in the hope that suddenly an extra penny will appear somewhere. Now they are “pushing” until April 2024, when the British financial year begins. And there they will apparently write it off, because you need to understand that the budget for 2024 has already been drawn up and there are no extra pennies there.

[Revolver]

No money was allocated in the budget for Tsegaboniya for 2022. However, then several billion were found over the budget. They found it for 2023, and for 2024. So, if they suddenly decide to write off the ships and transfer them to/on, funds may be found. But I would like to hope that by the time the ships are decided to be written off, even if Ukraine exists, it will not have access to the sea. Although... they dug up one sea, they will dig up another for such a great purpose.

[TermNachTer]

Found - this is the wrong wording. These billions, they were not lying around in London, on the pavement. They were taken from other articles. Now they have the idea that the ships should be written off. "Eurofighters" block 1 are also being written off. And a lot is still written off because the money is spent on other purposes.

[Revolver]

Quote: TermNachTER

These billions, they were not lying around in London, on the pavement.

Haven't you heard of deficit financing? They issued debt obligations, placed them on the stock market, and the next generation of taxpayers will pay. In 25 years, those who processed the debts will be retired, or even in the next world.

[TermNachTer]

I don’t think that the British Defense Ministry is financed in such an extravagant way. I think that financing comes from reliable sources, with amounts that are precisely known in advance. The problem is that these amounts went in the wrong direction)))

[Revolver]

Quote: TermNachTER

I don’t think that the British Defense Ministry is financed in such an extravagant way.

I don’t think that Banderostan is financed from the general budget of the British Ministry of Defense. At least in America, the defense budget has already been approved, but the money for Ukraine requested by the Biden administration (60 lard of greenery for a minute) was not approved by Congress and is not even going to be collected yet. And if it is ever approved, it will be financed precisely by issuing debt obligations. It's unlikely to be any different in England.

[TermNachTer]

In America, the budget has not yet been adopted; a temporary rule is in effect. I don’t know about other companies, but the Navy is very hysterical about this, because the lack of a budget does not allow making long-term expensive purchases, since it is not known whether there will be money for it or not. We'll talk about England in April.

[DrEng02]

Thanks for the interesting and informative article! At the same time brief!
It’s interesting that problems with construction and repair are similar to ours - is this a general trend in the world?

[TermNachTer]

My pleasure. I myself don’t like articles that are too long; while the reader reads to the end, he forgets what was said at the beginning. Yes, the problem is generally common. With the exception of China, South. Korea and Japan. But shipbuilding and ship repair in Korea and Japan have some limitations due to the fact that they do not yet have some technologies.

[tralflot1832]

Nicholas My personal opinion, England’s problems in military shipbuilding began when the West, with its own money, raised the shipbuilding of the People’s Republic of China to the skies. The South Caucasus and Japan ruined their civil shipbuilding, but developed it. Then India entered the market. The British got burned in civilian shipbuilding, a decrease in shipbuilding capacity, loss of personnel and qualifications. Something familiar isn’t it: Why build ships for us, we’ll buy it all.

[tralflot1832]

I shouldn’t have attacked the Indians, they build ships for the Swedes using the so-called fashionable electric propulsion. There are a lot of batteries for the diesel generator.

[TermNachTer]

Good day, Andrey. It’s not just China that agrees with you. Auxiliary vessels for the British fleet will be built by Yuzh. Korea - because it's cheaper. Prestige and independence from a foreign supplier are no longer relevant. In general, the arrogant Saxons and the entire Gay European scobla - “lost big time.” They raised the industry for China, and now they are “raking it out”)))

[tralflot1832]

So let's drink to the power, ugh, weakness of the English Royal Navy. What a king, such a fleet. It’s a pity I didn’t become the captain’s political assistant!

[TermNachTer]

I agree completely and completely, without clinking glasses)))

[knn54]

It's not good for us, it's bad for them.

[Doccor18]

This is, in brief, the situation in the Royal Navy at the beginning of 2024.

What can I say, the Fleet is an expensive thing, and not everyone can afford it. This was the case with bombers and aircraft carriers, and soon it will be the same with fighters and warships, and then with tanks...
It is quite possible that in the near future we will see a united European NATO fleet under the sensitive leadership of overseas democrats. It is already becoming clear that a separate state cannot bear the costs of its own army and navy...

[rotmistr60]

The Royal Navy is going through some difficult times in its long history, and there is no sign of a silver lining yet.

May God grant that this will continue to be the case. Maybe at least the state of the fleet will push British warlike heads to sober reflection. Although it’s unlikely, everything is too neglected and Russophobia is only progressing.

[KVU-NSVD]

We could also help them with their negative dynamics of ship repair through anthropogenic impact on the infrastructure of the few dry docks. But this, apparently, is not our method. It's a pity .

[TermNachTer]

Yes, there’s no need for much help there. At this rate, they will die themselves.