Status of Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigate fleet
Recent parliamentary scrutiny has brought to light the operational readiness of the Royal Navy’s fleet of Type 23 frigates.
The response to the Parliamentary Written Question, specifically concerning the status of each frigate, reveals a mixed state of availability within the fleet.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/status- ... ate-fleet/
RN Frigates: Type 23 Duke Class
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Pelican
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Re: RN Frigates: Type 23 Duke Class
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: RN Frigates: Type 23 Duke Class
Babcock plc awarded contract to manage the Type 23 class frigate Refit Support Group so the company takes end-to-end responsibility for vessel upkeep and regeneration - releasing RN personnel.
This model already used to deliver HMS St Albans to sea three months ahead of schedule.
https://www.babcockinternational.com/ne ... oyal-navy/
This model already used to deliver HMS St Albans to sea three months ahead of schedule.
https://www.babcockinternational.com/ne ... oyal-navy/
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HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
- Posts: 10143
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:10 pm
Re: RN Frigates: Type 23 Duke Class
MOD reluctant to discuss fate of two frigates
The future of two of the Royal Navy’s front-line warships, HMS Argyll and HMS Westminster, remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Recent inquiries into the status and operational plans for these ships have been met with vague responses, underscoring a potentially precarious future for the ageing frigates.
HMS Westminster, despite spending 90 days at sea in 2022 and entering a planned two-year refit to extend its service life until the late 2020s, the ship’s future was thrown into doubt in May 2023. Reports indicated that the refit was suspended due to the vessel’s deteriorating material condition. By January 2024, speculation arose that Westminster might be decommissioned prematurely, with its crew potentially being reassigned to a new Type 26 frigate.
Meanwhile, HMS Argyll, the longest-serving Type 23 Frigate in the Royal Navy, has faced its own set of challenges. After entering dry dock at the Frigate Support Centre in May 2022 for a post-LIFEX upkeep expected to be completed by summer 2023, the project hit a snag. Reports in early 2024 suggested that despite the vessel being undocked and Babcock’s assurances that the upkeep project was ongoing, the frigate might not return to service, primarily due to personnel shortages.
In response to a parliamentary question by Luke Pollard MP, Shadow Minister for Defence, regarding the operational future of these vessels, James Cartlidge MP, Minister of State at the MOD, provided a non-committal answer.
He emphasised the broader strategy of managing the transition from the current fleet to the upcoming vessels, focusing on maintaining operational commitments and ensuring value for money. However, he did not confirm specific plans for HMS Argyll and HMS Westminster, instead noting the need for “tough but necessary decisions” in the future.
Source UKDJ
[Attached Argyll gunnery exercise]
[Argyll gunnery exercise attached.]
The future of two of the Royal Navy’s front-line warships, HMS Argyll and HMS Westminster, remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Recent inquiries into the status and operational plans for these ships have been met with vague responses, underscoring a potentially precarious future for the ageing frigates.
HMS Westminster, despite spending 90 days at sea in 2022 and entering a planned two-year refit to extend its service life until the late 2020s, the ship’s future was thrown into doubt in May 2023. Reports indicated that the refit was suspended due to the vessel’s deteriorating material condition. By January 2024, speculation arose that Westminster might be decommissioned prematurely, with its crew potentially being reassigned to a new Type 26 frigate.
Meanwhile, HMS Argyll, the longest-serving Type 23 Frigate in the Royal Navy, has faced its own set of challenges. After entering dry dock at the Frigate Support Centre in May 2022 for a post-LIFEX upkeep expected to be completed by summer 2023, the project hit a snag. Reports in early 2024 suggested that despite the vessel being undocked and Babcock’s assurances that the upkeep project was ongoing, the frigate might not return to service, primarily due to personnel shortages.
In response to a parliamentary question by Luke Pollard MP, Shadow Minister for Defence, regarding the operational future of these vessels, James Cartlidge MP, Minister of State at the MOD, provided a non-committal answer.
He emphasised the broader strategy of managing the transition from the current fleet to the upcoming vessels, focusing on maintaining operational commitments and ensuring value for money. However, he did not confirm specific plans for HMS Argyll and HMS Westminster, instead noting the need for “tough but necessary decisions” in the future.
Source UKDJ
[Attached Argyll gunnery exercise]
[Argyll gunnery exercise attached.]
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.