Will Budget Cuts Result In The British Navy Losing Their Carrier Skills Forever?

Royal Navy Sackings 'Will Lose Aircraft Carriers Skills Forever' -- The Telegraph

One of the Royal Navy's most senior officers has expressed serious concerns over the loss of skilled aircraft carrier crew following redundancies.

The officer, who plays a key role in maintaining the Fleet, has also told colleagues that there are substantial doubts over whether the Navy will have enough sailors to man its ships after it will lose one in seven sailors in defence cuts.

The lack of adequately training personnel could delay the carrier coming into service by another three or four years, the Navy commander has said.

Another officer has told The Telegraph that the loss of carrier deck handling skills could prove "disastrous" with fatal accidents caused by inexperienced ratings.

Read more ....

More News On Cutbacks In The British Navy

Navy redundancies: Military cut to 'dangerously low' capabilities -- The Telegraph
Royal Navy Axes 1,020 Jobs in First Cuts, 350 Staff Forced Out -- Bloomberg Businessweek
UK News: Around 350 sailors to be forced out of Navy -- Scotsman
Navy redundancies 'are difficult for everyone' -- The Telegraph
Navy cuts 'may do long-term damage to morale' -- The Telegraph
Row as 350 Navy redundancies announced -- The Independent
Navy issuing first 1,000 redundancy notices -- BBC
Sailors sacked in savage cuts. 1,000 axed from Royal Navy -- The Sun
Lord West: Navy cuts are worrying -- Defence Management

Say Hello To Britain's Newest Submarine, The HMS Astute

Astute arriving at her home base on the Clyde in November 2009. Defpro

New Submarine In A Class Of Its Own -- BBC

HMS Astute is half submerged, its dark fin looming above the waters of the Clyde.

Even from a distance, the UK's newest and most powerful attack submarine looks formidable - a vessel you would rather not encounter in the murkiness of the ocean depths.

Even if you did, you would be unlikely to know it was there until it was too late. HMS Astute, the first of its class, marks a step change in capability for naval defence in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.

It is the stealthiest sub ever built in the UK, able to sit in waters off the coast undetected, listening to mobile phone conversations or delivering the UK's special forces where needed.

Read more ....

More News On Britain's Newest Submarine, The HMS Astute

On board the UK's newest attack submarine HMS Astute -- BBC
Submarines to employ new nanotube technology for sonar and stealth -- The Hindu
HMS Astute commissioned into navy -- Defense Management
Royal Navy welcomes Cumbrian-built nuclear sub -- BBC
Camilla praises submarine crew -- Press Association
UK's most powerful submarine joins the Navy -- Defpro

Britain's New Aircraft Carriers Will Have No Planes On Board

Icon: A Sea Harrier performs its famous vertical landing

Britain Will Be Forced To Borrow U.S. Jets To Fly From Our NEW Aircraft Carriers As Cutbacks Bite -- The Daily Mail

Britain will be forced to borrow U.S. warplanes to fly from the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers because of defence cuts, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The Navy's Harrier Jump Jets - the aircraft that won renown in the Falklands conflict - are to be retired early leaving the two new carriers with no aircraft when they come into service.

Under the plans, the U.S. Marines would be invited to fly from the British carriers in joint operations and the Navy is also examining the prospect of leasing aircraft from the Americans.

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My Comment: Talk about poor planning and management.

Real Cost Of The Royal Navy Carriers

THE FUTURE CARRIER (CVF) - HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH - HMS PRINCE OF WALES
Image from ArmedForces.UK

From New Wars:

The troubled plan for the Royal Navy to deploy two new jump-jet carriers, the largest warships that nation has ever built, may have reached another roadblock. Because of the Obama Administration’s plan to scrap the second Joint Strike Fighter engine for the V/STOL version, rumor has it that the British may decide to go conventional after all and forgo the ski jump for catapults. We see more costs, and more delays. From the Telegraph:

The move, welcomed by many defence analysts and the Royal Navy, will mean that the MoD has wasted £500 million of taxpayers’ money paid to Rolls Royce to develop the highly complex engine to allow vertical take-off similar to the Harrier jump jet…The decision will also have a significant impact on relations with Washington because it will increase the price of the 350 US Marine Corps jump-jet fighters that have been ordered, forcing the US military to ask for money from Congress.

The about-turn will also mean that the first of two 65,000 tonne carriers under construction, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will have to be redesigned with cost penalties. It is possible the recent £1 billion rise to £5 billion for the carriers might by partly attributable to the change of plan.

Read more ....

Update: Another CVF Change of Plan Rumor -- Information Dissemination

My Comment: In the week that rumors of money being wasted by the U.K. Ministry of Defense are being reported by the British press .... we now have the above story.

As I had mentioned in an earlier post yesterday, this is probably the tip of the iceberg.

U.K. Trident Submarine Deal Delayed

A Royal Navy Trident nuclear submarine. Photograph: Corbis

From The Guardian:

Design contract for new generation of Trident nuclear missile submarines delayed.

The design contract for a new generation of Trident nuclear missile submarines, due to have been signed in September, has been put off, government officials revealed last night.

The decision marks a U-turn by ministers, who have insisted there could be no delay in the timetable. They have now agreed that any contract to design and build new Trident submarines will be delayed until an international conference reviewing the non-proliferation treaty in New York next year.

Pressure is growing for the government to abandon its plans to replace the existing Trident system, which could cost well over £70bn and would be redundant in the view of many military analysts.

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My Comment: The focus is not on whether such a program is essential to U.K. security .... the focus is on the £70bn price tag.

A Farewell To Arms: On Board With Britain's Biggest Warship

Two Harriers on the flight deck

From The Daily Mail:

HMS Illustrious is Britain's biggest warship - a small city on the oceans that has spent three decades living up to its noble name. Now it's old and weary and outclassed by gleaming modern rivals. Live's reportage team went on board to chart a proud aircraft carrier's voyage to the scrapyard

Hiding an aircraft carrier should be very hard indeed. But our Sikorsky S-61 helicopter has been skimming the surface of the North Sea for 30 minutes - we are so low that the distant swell disappears above the blades of the chopper - and I cannot find any part of the 680ft HMS Illustrious. And I've got a window seat.

Read more ....

Royal Navy Destroyers Delayed By Weapons Hitches, Crew Shortage

HMS Daring sails past Dumbarton Castle, under its own steam for the very first time escorted by tugs from BAE Systems Scotstoun, 18 Jul 07. Photo from The Royal Navy

From Bloomberg:

Britain’s new Type 45 warships, built by BAE Systems Plc and VT Group Plc, may not be ready to join the Royal Navy until next year because of hitches with weaponry and a lack of sailors trained to crew the vessels.

HMS Daring, the first of six destroyers, may miss its scheduled service entry in December, Britain’s National Audit Office said in a report today. The ship is already three years late after cost overruns prompted a review of the budget.

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My Comment: When Britannia ruled the waves, it was an order to sign up to serve on a ship. Sigh .... no more now.