Navy to sell f lagship four years after refit
DEFENCE chiefs are preparing to sell the Royal Navy’s flagship to Brazil for £84million just four years after a £65million refit.
HMS Ocean will be decommissioned this year to save money for other vital assets, leaving Britain without an aircraft carrier.
The plan to sell the 28,000-ton ship was met with fury by Labour’s defence spokesman, Nia Griffith, who tweeted: ‘Hugely disappointing if this turns out to be true, HMS Ocean undergoes a refit, then sold for just £84million.
‘Government have refused to engage on issue of amphibious capability for months, Tories talk a good game but they’re consistently hollowing out our defence capabilities.’
However, defence sources insisted it was a good deal given the cost of building the ship, adding: ‘This is £84million into the defence budget that we didn’t have before.’
It was built at a cost of around £150million in 1995 – amounting to £300million in today’s money.
But the helicopter carrier and assault ship, based in Devonport, Plymouth, had a £65million upgrade in 2014, raising questions as to why it is now being sold.
It was commissioned in 1998, took part in the Iraq War in 2003 and the Libyan conflict of 2011. The ship, which has a top speed of 18 knots – or 21 mph – can accommodate almost 1,300 people and 40 vehicles. The move leaves Brit- ain incapable of mounting any major amphibious warfare operations until HMS Queen Elizabeth enters military service in 2021.
The decommissioning of HMS Illustrious in 2014 left Britain without any fixed-wing aircraft carriers. Experts fear the sale of HMS Ocean will further reduce ability to conduct military operations.
But naval bosses claim the money is desperately needed to plug an estimated £20billion black hole in defence finances. An MoD spokesman said: ‘Discussions with Brazil over the long-planned sale of HMS Ocean are at an advanced stage, but no final decisions have been made. HMS Ocean has served admirably with us since 1998 and the revenue she generates will be reinvested in defence as we bolster our Royal Navy with two types of brand new frigates and two huge aircraft carriers.’
‘Hugely disappointing’