MoD to develop maintenance plan as 'entire submarine fleet docked'
It is the second time in as many days that the state of the Royal Navy’s vessels has been called into question.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is developing a submarine maintenance recovery plan amid reports that the Royal Navy’s entire available fleet of hunter-killer submarines is docked.
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According to reports, all five Astute-class submarines, which protect the Vanguard submarines that carry nuclear Trident missiles, are out of service while undergoing maintenance and repair work.
The First Sea Lord ordered the plan to be developed, which would prevent maintenance overruns and increase capacity to achieve war readiness.
An MoD spokesperson said: “Strengthening and sustaining our submarine capability is a top priority, and we are taking decisive action to ensure its long-term resilience.
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“The Strategic Defence Review has underscored the critical importance of sustained and targeted investment across the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, and we are unwavering in our efforts to deliver the resources, infrastructure, and support necessary to meet current and future operational demands.
“We do not routinely comment about specific submarine operations and availability, but British waters are always protected with a range of assets including warships, patrol aircraft and submarines.”
The Mail on Sunday quoted a naval source as claiming that “a lack of investment for decades in providing the back-up infrastructure to keep them (submarines) safe” had contributed to the current problem.
It is the second time in as many days that the state of the Royal Navy’s vessels has been called into question.
On Saturday, the MoD said a technical issue had been detected on the UK’s largest warship as it was docked at a port in Norway.
Earlier this month, HMS Prince of Wales set sail from Loch Long, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, for Nordic waters to provide security in the Atlantic and High North regions.
“A minor technical issue” was identified on the Royal Navy’s most powerful vessel during its latest stop in Stavanger, a port city in south-western Norway, the MoD said.
The aircraft carrier is expected to sail in the coming days, the ministry added.
An MoD spokesperson said: “HMS Prince of Wales is currently conducting a port visit to Stavanger as part of the Carrier Strike Group’s deployment across the North Atlantic and Arctic, we expect her to set sail in the coming days.”
Earlier this year, former chief of the service Lord West of Spithead said the Royal Navy is in the most “parlous state” it has been in for 60 years and does not “deliver what the nation needs”.