Letter: Royal Navy ships are in shortage
Tuesday 15th November 2011, 10:59AM GMT.
When most go to bed at night, they may well imagine that somewhere out in the waters around our shores that there would be at least one or more British warship flying the flag and keeping an eye on possible dangers to our national security, as this has been the norm for as long as anyone can remember.
But yet, since the beginning of October there hasn’t been one single frigate or destroyer fulfilling this task. The Royal Navy, once the mightiest in the world, could not muster a single vessel to protect our shores.
Sounds amazing, but very true.
Since last year’s cuts, where cuts were made to our Armed Forces, a result which meant that frigates and destroyers were cut from 23 to 19, this was after a numerous succession of cuts.
It wasn’t that long ago that some Tories insisted that a 40–ship Royal Navy was the absolute minimum.
Obviously, the war in Libya, (of which David Cameron insisted Britain must do our bit), didn’t help with 10 ships being deployed to the Mediterranean for the cause, but surely we should have had one ship left patrolling these shores to protect its citizens?
GB Dipper, Leominster
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Protect us from what ?
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The key to the defence of any country has moved from soldiers and ships to submarines and aircraft .
The days when naval firepower was of any consequence have long gone.No surface vessel even if fitted with the latest CIWS can protect itself from an SS-N-22 Sunburn ,a ship killing missile possessed by such potential powder-keg countries as Iran.
No naval power including the U.S.N has a defence system capable of neutralising an incoming SS-N-22.
Aircraft carriers and ‘capital’ships are easy targets which is probably the reason the USN is no longer building any.
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Buskerman needs to read a few history books !
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Genuine question, protect us from what? You seem to have the knowledge, please enlighten me.
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