HMS Westminster Photo: Chris Ison/PA
Posted on 11/22/2011 3:31:41 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Navy frigate sent to Libya with four missiles
A Royal Navy frigate was sent to the Libyan war zone armed with as few as four missiles, it has been disclosed.
Royal Navy officers said HMS Westminster was “dangerously under-defended” when it was called on to patrol close to the Libyan port city of Benghazi in March.
The warship can carry 32 Seawolf and eight Harpoon missiles but it is understood that military cutbacks left the Westminster and its crew of 190 with only a fraction of that capability.
As Seawolf missiles — which are used to intercept incoming missiles — are fired in pairs, sources said the Westminster had just two rounds to defend against missile attacks from Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
In another recent admission, the Royal Navy said it was unable to spare a warship to guard British waters for the whole of October after last year’s defence cuts.
Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a retired officer, said it was unbelievable that the Westminster had so few missiles on board and said ships in the Falklands and the Gulf wars were equipped to full capacity. He added: “This is yet another example of the incoherence of last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review. What if the Government’s bluff had been called? What would the Ministry of Defence be saying if the Westminster had been hit by something? They took a big risk.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
HMS Westminster Photo: Chris Ison/PA
and some very old fish and chips..
Well that was pretty reckless of the Admiralty to allow that ship to sail into harms way if they had no intention of supplying it further at sea.
Don’t they know the Navy way???.... IT DOESN’T MATTER IF IT WORKS - JUST AS LONG AS IT SHINES!!
This is what Obama wants for us.
He has said flat out that he will make sure the cuts promised if the Super Committee failed are carried out.
Obama could care less about our military,except for Air Force One, he loves that.
Cut that first... Give the slug an old Piper Cub.
Sorta like the days we had with the peanut picker sitting in the oval office with his thumb up his butt while Iran held our embassy staff hostage and Jimmah kept cutting the military budget.
Sure hope the Brit’s didn’t tell the enemy...
And let's not forgot the fine job Stansfield Turner did in gutting the CIA at the command of Cahter. Both, POS, may they burn in hell.
When my father joined the New York National Guard in 1940, they drilled with wooden rifles. With Obama’s sense of tradition, maybe we’ll be back to wooden rifles in 2012.
LLS
Both will burn in hell and worse. That’s my opinion and I am sticking to it.
LLS
What do you call a frigate without weapons ?
A target
That’s ok. The money has been more well spent provided free housing, welfare, and food to the millions of muslim missionaries they invited in who want Sharia Law.
Sounds like the liberals in the UK are doing the same things as the liberals here. The US Navy is currently at pre-1915 levels and shrinking. Thank the jerk in charge, Obama, for this.
Ungland...
Another casualty of the UK's welfare state
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