Naval support ships' readiness to sail slashed during 10 years of Tory rule

06 December 2023 , 22:00

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Support ships such as RFA Tidespring play a vital role in keeping aircraft carriers, frigates and destroyers at sea

The availability of vital support ships to be sent to sea alongside the Royal Navy has halved in the past decade of Tory rule, figures show.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels spent fewer than 1,200 days “at readiness” for deployment last year, compared to more than 2,400 days in 2013. The vessels include supply ships and refuelling tankers to keep Royal Navy aircraft carriers, frigates and destroyers at sea. Labour, which uncovered the data, warned “declining readiness and gaps in the Royal Navy's support ship fleet could have serious ramifications for the UK's ability to deploy a carrier strike group in future, which could leave the UK less secure and less able to respond to new threats”.

Figures forced out of the Ministry of Defence show that in 2013 “afloat support” was at readiness on a total of 2,487.2 days. In 2018, it plunged to just 829.5 and, though it increased again by 2022, the number of days was still only 1,192.8 - half the availability of nine years earlier. The fall comes despite the introduction of a four-strong fleet of Tide-class refuelling vessels, built by Daewoo in South Korea rather than in UK shipyards, from 2017.

But in a letter to Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey, the Ministry of Defence blamed the switch to Tide-class vessels for ships being unavailable. In an appendix to the letter, seen by the Mirror, the MoD says: “Fluctuation in the afloat support line reflects the transition from Wave to Tide-class tanker, and regular upkeep periods of RFA Fort Victoria. The introduction of three Fleet Solid Support ships will enable a more consistent output of afloat support with ships coming out of upkeep replacing those going in.”

However, the £1.6billion FSS programme is years behind schedule after the MoD halted and then restarted the programme for ordering the vessels - before handing it to a Spanish-led bid.

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Mr Healey said: “During the last 13 years, the Conservatives have hollowed out Britain’s armed forces, leaving our Royal Navy without the vital refuelling and supply ships they need. The availability of our RFA support ships has plummeted, putting more strain on an ageing fleet that the Conservatives have been slow to replace. The state of the Royal Navy and the condition of its ships increases concerns about the UK’s ability to fulfil its sovereign and NATO requirements. In Government, Labour will make sure our armed forces have the kit they need to fight with confidence and fulfil their NATO obligations in full.”

Ben Glaze