WE’RE SAILING NOT
Navy’s £1bn destroyer is stuck in port for 4 YEARS
A WARSHIP in the Royal Navy’s flagship £6billion fleet has spent the last four years stuck in port.
HMS Daring, above, has not been put to sea since June 2017 after being hit by a string of technical issues.
And similar problems with the fleet’s five other Type 45 destroyers – which cost £1bn each – have led to them also spending much of their time tied up in harbour.
The ships have been dogged by a string of hitches, which include refits overrunning, delays sourcing vital spare parts, engines conking out and even a lack of trained sailors to man them.
It means instead of spearheading the nation’s naval power around the globe, the 8,000-ton vessels have been stranded in port. Three of them spent the entire year of 2021 tied up in dock because of technical problems or a lack of crew.
Many of the problems have been blamed on the ships’ hi-tech power systems, which can overheat.
Pete Sandeman, director of the Navy Lookout publication, said: “A decision was made by government in 2000 to take a risk with an innovative gas turbine design that did not pay off.
“As a consequence, the Type 45 destroyers have been plagued by significant propulsion problems since they entered service.” Between the start of 2018 and the end of 2021 the fleet – Daring plus HMS Dauntless, Duncan, Diamond, Dragon and Defender – was at sea for 2,841 days out of a possible 8,766.
On an average day just two of the ships were on active service at any one time.
But Mr Sandeman added: “Despite far too much time spent alongside, these destroyers have still managed to serve around the word and are regarded as world-class air defence platforms.”
A Navy spokesman said: “The Royal Navy continues to meet all of its operational requirements, with ships held at different levels of readiness to meet our commitments worldwide.”