A trio of “decrepit” Royal Navy support ships is stuck in port, causing a headache for senior Armed Forces officials.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) refuels, rearms and resupplies British warships.
However, all three RFA vessels that act as Navy amphibious warfare ships are out of action, with some experts claiming their current condition is crippling the Navy.
RFA Lyme Bay, RFA Mounts Bay and RFA Cardigan Bay all out of action, alongside RFA Argus, a hospital ship, which has been trapped at Portsmouth Naval Base since failing a safety inspection in June.
RFA Argus was described as being in a ‘decrepit’ state
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Retired frigate captain Commander Tom Sharpe warned the current state of the RFA was now posing a serious threat to naval operations.
He told The Telegraph: “This is absolutely crippling the Navy. The RFA is the logistics branch of the Royal Navy.
“If you don’t have logistics you’re simply not a blue-water navy. You can’t support it at range, so what’s the point being a navy?”
Admiral Lord West, the former head of the Navy, added: “RFA Argus is in a decrepit state. It’s appalling she has been allowed to get into a state that’s not seaworthy.”
RFA Lyme Bay, pictured in 2003, is reportedly ‘stuck in Gibraltar’
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RFA Argus was first used during the Falklands war in 1982. However, sources said the ship was now in such a poor state of repair that the vessel’s shaft needed emergency welding to prevent the stern seal from blowing out, flooding the ship.
The June safety inspection found asbestos on board and ruled that the hull was not seaworthy.
Meanwhile, RFA Lyme Bay which was last used an exercise with the Royal Marines this autumn, will be stuck in port in Gibraltar until at least April because of budgetary restrictions, according to Navy sources.
RFA Cardigan Bay has been hit by constant by delays to her refit programme, while RFA Mounts Bay has been impacted by constant manpower shortages.
RFA Cardigan Bay has been hit with multiple delays
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The RFA vessels were supposed to fill in for the Navy’s amphibious warfare capability, after HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion were axed by Defence Secretary John Healey.
However, Lord West said: “Our amphibious capability has been reduced to a level that’s a shadow of its former self.”
Maritime defence expert and former naval officer Mike Critchley called on the Government to address the crisis “urgently.”
He told The Telegraph: “The Navy has got in a real mess over its RFA support.”
The UK’s only solid support ship, Fort Victoria, has also been placed in “extended readiness” and is unlikely to return to sea without costly repairs.
A Norwegian vessel, HNoMS Maud, recently had to step in to help with the UK Carrier Strike Group’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
Later, America’s USNS Wally Schirra, had to resupply the group because RFA Fort Victoria was out of action.
It has raised concerns Britain has been left with a capability gap as it waits for replacement vessels to arrive in the early 2030s.
Cdr Sharpe said: “The idea of having carriers without fleet solid support ships is just appalling. We want to be global and have global ambitions and rightly so.
“But if we can’t get the RFA to work, we might as well bin it, bin the carriers and just build frigates and destroyers.
“Someone has to take bold action on this to fix the RFA.”
A Navy spokesman said: “The Royal Fleet Auxiliary continues to operate globally in accordance with defence requirements and priorities.”
