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Britain has now suffered the ultimate humiliation. A Russian warship in the English Channel has felt free to fire warning shots at a peaceful British-flagged yacht, and not only have we chosen to do nothing about it, we actually cannot do anything about it – thanks to the long, long running-down of our defences. The Government must now surely realise that it is time for a major increase in defence funding, as if the recent resignation of defence ministers John Healey and Al Carns had not been proof enough. So what has happened? A British-flagged yacht, so far unidentified, apparently...

DUBAI —A British warship tried but failed to prevent Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from seizing a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz last week, intercepted radio communications show, fueling a wave of recriminations in London on Sunday over who was to blame for the incident last week. In recordings obtained by the shipping consultancy Dryad Global and posted on its website Sunday, a member of the Revolutionary Guard is heard ordering the British-flagged Stena Impero tanker to divert course toward Iran. “Alter your course,” the man says. “If you obey you will be safe.” A British naval officer...

A former Royal Navy commander has expressed concerns over reports Sir Keir Starmer could axe a new fleet of warships. Tom Sharpe, who commanded four warships during his 27-year career, said he fears ministers will take the “cheapest option” rather than the best one in the future of the Type 83 destroyer programme. Reports claim the Prime Minister is weighing up scrapping plans to build the warships, expected to replace the current Type 45s next decade. Mr Sharpe said there is a decision to be made about the programme, as the First Sea Lord pushes for a transition towards a...

HMS Dragon, a Type-45 destroyer, is sailing from the eastern Mediterranean, where it was originally sent to safeguard British military bases from Iranian drone strikes. The ship, which has been undergoing weapons testing off Crete, will join a future 'defensive and independent' mission jointly led by the UK and France – once the Iran war ends. A defence source said: 'Dragon is a highly capable warship, so naturally she is likely to be part of our UK contribution to restoring confidence for global trade through the Strait.' The destroyer, which has a 285-strong crew and is equipped with the Sea...

The once mighty Royal Navy is but a shadow of its former self, reduced to a tiny handful of often broken warships by generations of political mismanagement. This was cruelly exposed recently when Britain found it difficult to dispatch at short notice a single destroyer to Cyprus following an attack on the British base there.

The Royal Navy’s mission to intercept Iranian drone threats has stalled in port because the Portsmouth repair yard now operates on a “nine-to-five” schedule. The high-stakes mission to protect a British airbase from Iranian drone strikes remains on hold while maintenance crews finish welding and system overhauls during standard business hours, according to union officials, The Telegraph reported. The deployment of HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air-defense destroyer designed to intercept high-speed missile and drone threats, to Cyprus has been delayed because the Ministry of Defence and private contractor Serco reportedly introduced these restricted shifts as a “cost-cutting” measure that...

The Royal Navy's flagship HMS Prince of Wales has departed on one of its biggest deployments yet. The £3bn aircraft carrier set off from Portsmouth and will take part in exercises demonstrating the UK's ability to operate fast jets at sea, and carry out large scale military operations on the other side of the world. Up to 24 of the latest F-35B stealth jets will join the carrier as it leads a multi-national fleet of warships to 40 countries across the Mediterranean, Middle East, south-east Asia, Japan and Australia. The 65,000-tonne warship, which can hold up to 1,600 military personnel,...

The Chinese grab dredge that desecrated the wrecks of two famous WWII warships off Malaysia has run into trouble with the law once more. The notorious Chuan Hong 68 has been detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) again, this time over paperwork violations. Last year, Malaysian authorities detained Chuan Hong 68 off Johor for allegedly crushing and removing the wreckage of the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse, which were sunk by Japanese forces during the invasion of the Malay .Peninsula in December 1941. Both are protected war graves. In May 2023, local...

From: Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis 2/3/2024 During last-minute checks ahead of sailing for NATO exercise Steadfast Defender, it has been discovered that HMS Queen Elizabeth has a significant issue with her starboard propeller shaft. The ship will not sail on 4th February as planned and instead, HMS Prince of Wales will be readied to replace her. The RN has instituted additional checks on the aircraft carrier’s shaft lines as a result of the painful lessons learned from past experience with HMS Prince of Wales. In the course of an inspection, concerns have arisen around one...

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Monday night: “The Yemeni armed forces consider all American and British ships and warships participating in the aggression against our country as hostile targets”. The missile came from near Hodeidah, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the US said. ..

As American scientists prepare to announce the location of the remains of Endeavour, a battle is expected over whether Britain, the United States or Australia gets the wreck of James Cook's famed ship. A team of marine archaeologists from Australia and the US said they believe they may have found the resting place of the ship – used by the British explorer on a voyage of discovery to Australia in 1768 - 25 years after beginning their search. They are expected to announce on Friday 'one or two' sites in Newport Harbour in Rhode Island, where the Endeavour was scuttled...

Breakthrough evidence likely reveals the final resting place of the HMS Endeavour. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nearly two years after an Australian research team made the claim that a Rhode Island shipwreck was Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour, the team says they have more evidence to back up their assertion. A Rhode Island-based research group originally said it was too premature to call the shipwreck Cook’s vessel. New findings regarding the pump well and bow further point to this ship in fact being HMS Endeavour. Residents of New England and those with British ties are once again in a scuffle. This time, the debate...

Britain’s Royal Navy has reportedly told its sailors that they should introduce themselves with gender pronouns before meetings in order to be more “inclusive”. A “Trans and Non-Binary Awareness” guide, seen by The Telegraph newspaper, reportedly published on the Royal Navy’s internal intranet has told staff: “Introducing yourself with your pronouns at the start of meetings and interactions is a good way to be inclusive.

The head of the Royal Navy has ordered an investigation into allegations of bullying and sexual harassment against women in the Submarine Service. Several whistleblowers who served in the fleet told the Daily Mail they faced mistreatment from all ranks. Adm Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord, called the claims "abhorrent", adding "sexual harassment has no place in the Royal Navy and will not be tolerated". "Anyone who is found culpable will be held accountable," he said. The allegations, revealed in detail by the Mail, include male crew members compiling a list setting out the order in which women...

Now Moscow claims that Britain's ROYAL NAVY blew up Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines as Ministry of Defence says 'invented' slur 'says more about arguments going on inside Russia's government' Russian defence ministry said UK's Navy helped plan and implement the 'attack' Also claimed the same troops were responsible for a drone attack this morning British Ministry of Defence said Moscow has 'resorted to peddling false claims' Nord Stream pipes exploded last month, leading to four gas leaks in Baltic Sea Russia's army has accused the British Navy of being 'involved' in explosions on the Nord Stream gas...

The Royal Navy has admitted one of its warships collided with a Russian hunter-killer submarine in the north Atlantic in what is believed to be the first collision between Russian and British vessels since the Cold War. The Russian submarine was lurking 200 miles north of Scotland in 'late 2020' when the crew of HMS Northumberland was dispatched on a 48-hour mission to hunt it down amid fears it would try to tap into or cut undersea cables essential for communication and the internet. The Royal Navy's Type 23 frigate sailed into the region where the sub was believed to...

HMS Northumberland had been tracking the submarine when it hit the ship's sonar - a piece of equipment being trailed hundreds of metres behind it. The incident, in late 2020, was captured by a television crew filming a documentary. A UK defence source said it was unlikely the collision was deliberate. HMS Northumberland was searching for the submarine in the Arctic Circle after it disappeared from the ship's radar, according to Channel 5, which was filming for its Warship: Life at Sea series. The MoD said the frigate had located the hunter-killer submarine using the towed array sonar - a...

The US defence secretary said Britain might be more helpful as an ally if it did not focus on Asia, highlighting US concerns that forays by European allies into the Indo-Pacific could weaken defences closer to home. “We have interests around the globe and we want to make sure that we work together to address all those interests,” Lloyd Austin said in Singapore on Tuesday. “As we look to balance our efforts in various parts of the world, we are not only looking to help each other in the Indo-Pacific but we are looking to ensure that we help each...

Thousands of well-wishers waved off the Royal Navy's flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth as it set sail for exercises and its first operational deployment to the Far East. The £3billion aircraft carrier - nicknamed 'Big Lizzie' - sailed out of Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire to cheers from the crowds who filled the walls and the beaches. There were few signs of social distancing among those who brandished Union Flags and held banners saying farewell to their loved ones who will be at sea for about seven months.

Looks quite cool. Not sure of practical use, but gives some extra capability.