UK Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

posted an article recently that suggested the RN could see further shrinkage of the surface combatant inventory (currently 17 ships) over the next few years:

A magnifying factor of the retirement of the increasingly ageing Type 23 frigates is that the timeline for the replacement Type 31 frigates will see the first-in-class HMS Venturer enter service in 2027, by which time the fleet could be further reduced with the retirement of Type 23 frigates HMS Lancaster and HMS Iron Duke in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

Should these timelines remain, the UK Royal Navy’s surface fleet of major surface combatants, made up of the Type 23 frigates and Type 45 air defence destroyers, could be down to just 15 vessels. The current structure of the Royal Navy’s missions dictates a 19-strong surface warship requirement among the Type 23 and Type 45 classes.

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It's not clear what source the article is using for notional out-of-service dates for these ships. Numerous reports have HMS Lancaster currently deployed in the Persian Gulf and not expected to return home until at least 2025, which doesn't square with withdrawing her from service in 2024.

comment posted on Navy Lookout suggests that additional Type 23 frigates will be decommissioned in mid-2020s to provide crews for new T31/T26 frigates some time prior to the latter being commissioned into service:

Frigates “manned” by RN personnel start increasing by 2025 onwards. Even though they are not “accepted into service”,

T31-hull1 will be handed over to RN around 2025
T31-hull2 will be handed over to RN around 2026
T26-hull1 will be handed over to RN around 2026
“Handed over” means, it is fully crewed by RN personnel.

Negative point of this is, these man-power shall be found. So, additional T23GPs will start going out of service around 2025.

Positive point is, RN-owned and white-ensign flying frigate number will NOT decrease (even though 2 or 3 of them are in initial training phase, and not in service).

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gelgoog said:

The United Kingdom needs things like the carriers because of the overseas territories. You could argue that these particular carriers are overkill though.

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Not overkill, but intended for other purposes for bigger foes, the little scatter of islands Britain have are actually useless.

More clown show...

UK nuclear submarine plans found in pub bathroom – media​

The Royal Navy has launched a probe into the incident



The plans of the torpedo mechanism for the Royal Navy’s newest nuclear-powered submarine were found lying on the floor inside a bathroom stall in a pub, British tabloid The Sun reported on Friday, citing a source.

The files regarding HMS Anson, an Astute-class vessel, were reportedly marked ‘official-sensitive’ – the second level in the UK government’s three-tier classification scheme. People handling official-sensitive information must abide by the ‘need to know’ principle, especially if documents “might be shared outside of a routine or well understood business process,” the Ministry of Justice website states.

According to the newspaper, the files were discovered in a pub in the port town of Barrow-in-Furness, northern England. The establishment is located not far from the BAE Systems’ shipyard where naval vessels are built. “It was quite a lively night,” the source, who claimed to have spotted the documents, said. “The pub was full of people from the docks – military and civilian.

“I went into the toilet and the plans were lying on the floor of the cubicle with the lanyard … Anyone could have found them,” the source said.

The files reportedly included a description of the submarine’s hydraulics, which “control torpedo hatches, steering and buoyancy.”
A Navy spokesperson told The Sun the files were “generic training documents,” but added that “the circumstances of their discovery” would be investigated.

The Navy describes HMS Anson, which joined the fleet last year, as “the cutting edge of the United Kingdom’s military capabilities” and “world’s most advanced hunter-killer submarine.” In February, the vessel sailed to Naval Base Clyde in Scotland for sea trials.

How sad, their toilet paper crisis has taken a turn for the worst.

I don't think that "The Sun" is a reliable source they are known for spreading fake news

typexx said:

I don't think that "The Sun" is a reliable source they are known for spreading fake news

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Not just The Sun, this story is easily found across the entire UK media. A few seconds of online search will show you this.

They should be glad War Thunder doesn't have nuclear submarines yet.

sheogorath said:

They should be glad War Thunder doesn't have nuclear submarines yet.

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Think of the meme potential of this one, just go to a pub toilet and you get top secret military documentation from the UK.

Strangelove said:

More clown show...

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UK nuclear submarine plans found in pub bathroom – media​

The Royal Navy has launched a probe into the incident

The plans of the torpedo mechanism for the Royal Navy’s newest nuclear-powered submarine were found lying on the floor inside a bathroom stall in a pub, British tabloid The Sun reported on Friday, citing a source.

The files regarding HMS Anson, an Astute-class vessel, were reportedly marked ‘official-sensitive’ – the second level in the UK government’s three-tier classification scheme. People handling official-sensitive information must abide by the ‘need to know’ principle, especially if documents “might be shared outside of a routine or well understood business process,” the Ministry of Justice website states.

According to the newspaper, the files were discovered in a pub in the port town of Barrow-in-Furness, northern England. The establishment is located not far from the BAE Systems’ shipyard where naval vessels are built. “It was quite a lively night,” the source, who claimed to have spotted the documents, said. “The pub was full of people from the docks – military and civilian.

“I went into the toilet and the plans were lying on the floor of the cubicle with the lanyard … Anyone could have found them,” the source said.

The files reportedly included a description of the submarine’s hydraulics, which “control torpedo hatches, steering and buoyancy.”
A Navy spokesperson told The Sun the files were “generic training documents,” but added that “the circumstances of their discovery” would be investigated.

The Navy describes HMS Anson, which joined the fleet last year, as “the cutting edge of the United Kingdom’s military capabilities” and “world’s most advanced hunter-killer submarine.” In February, the vessel sailed to Naval Base Clyde in Scotland for sea trials.

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Whoops.....

lol

Alleged sabotage onboard frigate HMS Glasgow​

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EXCLUSIVE – The UK Defence Journal can reveal the news that there has been an alleged incident of sabotage onboard HMS Glasgow, with claims that a group of disgruntled contractors have interrupted the fitting out process of the Type 26 Frigate by severing over 60 cables.

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The suspected motive behind this destructive act is said to be an issue related to payment disputes, although this cannot be confirmed.

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Pay your workers properly next time