Photos have emerged showing the entire Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer fleet in port, with many currently inactive.

All vessels in the class are visible in the above photo, HMS Duncan is harder to see as she’s located further into HMNB Portsmouth under repairs, the vessels radars is just visible in the photo.

Despite all Type 45 Destroyers being in Portsmouth, apart from HMS Dauntless, all the of the vessels are in their normal operating cycle.

HMS Diamond is currently hosting a ‘family day’ and has been at sea recently.

It is also understood that HMS Defender recently limped home from deployment on one engine, according to several personnel we’ve spoken to.

While a full remedy for their well known mechanical issues is being worked on and the vessel will eventually return to operations, currently a partial fix for the propulsion system has been put in place on most vessels.

The information comes from @NavyLookout on twitter, more can be found at savetheroyalnavy.org

It is also understood that HMS Defender recently limped home from deployment on one engine, according to several personnel we’ve spoken to.

The Type 45 destroyers are primarily designed for anti-air warfare with the capability to defend against sophisticated targets such as fighter aircraft, drones as well as highly manoeuvrable sea skimming anti-ship missiles travelling at supersonic speeds.

The Royal Navy describes the destroyers’ mission as being “to shield the Fleet from air attack”.

T45_Portsmouth2T45_Portsmouth2
T45_Portsmouth1T45_Portsmouth1

The engineering problems with the Type 45’s has been no secret, it was even addressed in the November 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which stated funding is to be made available for:

“A Type 45 machinery improvement package to deliver the most modern AAW and BMD platform in the world more reliably”.

It is understood that the ships will have to be refitted at a cost of tens of millions of pounds.

The Type 45s were the first complex warships to employ an integrated full electric propulsion, which uses gas turbines and diesel generators to power electric motors, which turn the propellers.

Problems with the system emerged during shore testing in 2005 and have been denting reliability of the destroyers ever since, with many having to cancel port visits, deployments and even come home early.

The Ministry of Defence had this to say:

“The Type 45 destroyers are hugely capable ships and have consistently made a difference to our safety and security, including HMS Defender’s support to US carrier operations against Daesh in the Gulf.

In our defence review last year we committed to improving the Type 45’s power and propulsion system through a series of machinery upgrades during planned maintenance, which will ensure increased availability and resilience over the life of the ships.”

HMS Ducan in drydock this evening. Copyright UK Defence Journal 2016 via Marcus Cribb.
HMS Ducan in drydock this evening. Copyright UK Defence Journal 2016.

It’s no secret that Type 45 Destroyer HMS Dauntless has endured the most issues relating to the widely reported propulsion issues currently found in the Type 45 Destroyers. While a remedy is being worked on and the vessel will eventually return to operations, this will not be for a few years yet.

A parliamentary written question has confirmed what many have feared, that the vessel will not be leaving Portsmouth for some time.

Asked by Douglas Chapman (MP for Dunfermline and West Fife)

“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether HMS Dauntless is being used as a harbour training and accommodation ship.”

Answered by Philip Dunne (then Minister of State for Defence Procurement)

“The introduction of Engineering Training Ships is an important component of the Royal Navy’s comprehensive programme to improve training and career development opportunities by increasing training capacity.

Ships in the operating cycle immediately ahead of refit will be used to deliver training alongside home Bases and Ports. HMS DAUNTLESS entered this profile in February this year.”

A reduced Ship’s Company reside on board as normal, augmented by trainees who use the opportunity to gain experience through development activities in a realistic environment.”

HMS Dauntless is the second ship of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy.

One of the most controversial of her, until recently, frequent deploys was in January 2012, when it was announced that Dauntless would deploy to the South Atlantic to replace HMS Montrose which was stationed around the Falkland Islands. The deployment was condemned by the government of Argentina, which claimed that the UK was “militarising the South Atlantic”, despite the replacement representing only a modest increase in fighting capacity.

In 2015, Dauntless re-sailed for the Middle East after a short delay, with a plan to take part in the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign. She conducted anti-piracy patrols, as well as escorting US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

While a remedy is being worked on and the vessel will eventually return to operations, this will not be for a few years yet.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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75 COMMENTS

  9. Pathetic!!!!! What a complete disgrace these ships should be repaired now …it’s simply ludicrous

    At this rate has queen Elizabeth won’t be leaving the Clyde at all because she won’t have anything to protect her … what a complete fuck up…

    • Nigel they will be asking themselves for the money back

      BAE Systems told them not to buy the then new untested Rolls Royce engines and the MOD and Government instructed them to buy them
      These engines are a one of a kind Rolls Royce stopped selling them after the T45 as they had issues

      • The intercooler unit has a major design flaw and causes the GTs to fail occasionally.
        Replacement of the WR-21 GTs is not a practical option. Instead additional or more powerful diesel generators will provide long-term redundancy and assurance that electrical supplies can be maintained in the event of GT failure.

        Basically, the RN thought they were getting a Rolls Royce, and have ended up with a Trabant, regardless of the refit.

  11. “A modest increase in fighting capability”

    Lol

    Office of national statistics equated 1 Type 45 as equivalent to 5 Type 42’s

  16. I hope our new carriers will not be as unreliable as our destroyers. How long is it supposed to take to fix them? I keep seeing posts about how rubbish the Argentinean forces are, and here we are with our ultra modern ships that are just as useless…..

  19. Does anyone,anywhere carry the can for this T45 fiasco? One wonders what major operational defects are currently being nurtured for the T26 and T31 Frigates. It is probably as well that the new RFA logistic support ships are having to be built abroad owing to our lack of capacity.
    This great advertisement for the post Brexit “Buy British” campaign!

  22. to be fair to mr hoon he decided to buy british to secure uk jobs. the exact thing you people are whining about didn’t happen when the tides were ordered in south korea. you lot cant have your cake and eat it.

  23. also the type 45 contract saved roles Royce marine and lead to the development of the m30 turbine which is now one of the most successful marine turbines going so actually he saved a part of british manufacturing.

  25. FFS ! Get it sorted you cant project a Global influence on the cheap. Moral of the story is let military men make military procurement decisions not politicians who always have a seperate agenda !

  37. I think the article is a bit misleading. This certainly isn’t a class that has the numbers of the US Navy Arleigh Burke class DDG’s. Being as there is such a small number of them, I can see it as quite possible all of them being in port at one time. It is certainly a capable ship and they all have first rate crews. I can see why it is a bit disconcerting.

  41. Nothing-I mean nothing in the Admirality’s list of priorities can be more important than undertaking the necessary repairs to the 45’s as a matter of urgency. To talk of almost new Billion pound vessels being out of service for ‘several years’ is simply unbelievable!

  47. When the T45s were in the conceptual phase, General Electric Marine Engines (under the ‘umbrella’ of GE Aircraft Engines – Military Engine Operations) spent a great deal of time, and resources, in convincing MOD procurement, that GE’s LM2500+ Single Annular Combustor (SAC) marine gas turbine was the best ‘package’. GE’s LM2500+G4, today, has an even higher output (providing an excellent EGT margin when gas generator inlet temperatures (T2) are high). This negates the need for ‘regulator limiting’ on temperature (T4.8) & instead on compressor delivery pressure (P4.8), gas generator speed (xNH), power turbine speed (xNPT). The core LM2500 (derived from the CF6-6 aero engine) is used by many navies. The relatively new German F124 and Spanish F100 frigate programs, being just two examples, though these applications are through reduction gearboxes and conventional shafting.

    It is a core engine line with a demonstrable, operational, history in military, and commercial, platforms and industrial applications (as both SAC and DLE). At around 33 000 SHP, with an EGT (T4.8) of 814 degC on the core engine, regulation of temperature limiting can reach circa 900 degC on the +, and +G4 variants; with a significant increase in calculated power.

    There already exists large ‘rotable’ resources within GE, and it’s partners; nominally in Cincinnati, Agotnes & Miami. The single-stage high pressure turbine blades, and nozzle, have a Thermal Barrier Coating in marine applications. The marine power turbines have been proven in COGOG, COGAG & electrical propulsion applications.

    The high pressure compressor variable geometry can be actuated by servo-fuel, or by an independent hydraulic system driven by the auxiliary gear box.

    Fuel regulation, can be by either an on-engine servo-fuel control, or by a military marine, proportional & integrating, fuel metering valve; nominally by Woodward Governor Company.

    Instead, MoD procurement opted for Rolls’ WR21 – be that politics or a ‘nod’ to a ‘flagship’ UK industry’s prime movers, being utilised by the RN.

    The T45’s WR21 (derived, mainly, from the RB211 aero engine) had no marine operational history. Certainly, not enough for the engineers in the RN, and at the naval support command, to draw on findings through previous reporting processes from ships, overhaul facilities or the equivalent of the GTAA (Gas Turbine Allocation Authority).

    Being a formal Royal Navy senior rate in the marine engineering sub-branch, and a former field service representative of GE Marine Engines, I’m fortunate enough to have some insight, of the marine (and industrial) gas turbine world.

  48. It is also the navys summer leave period! Every single year it is very common to see more ships back at home in August after deployments, as most RN personel take there hard earned summer leave. and most will sail again in September. As a ex serving member of the RN I’m in a position to understand why these vessels are back home, and some of people’s uninformed message’s are truly pathetic.

  49. Not the first time all 6 have been in at the same time. March 18th I sailed in Pompey on BF ship. They were all in then as well

  52. Andrew ex RN
    It’s a shame that the RN has come to this 19 warships 6 of which don’t work very well with a price tag that makes your eyes water in the old day we had a reserve Fleet that could be called on whenever there were issues strategic defence reviews are a waste of money leave it to the Navy to decide what they need And politicians then work out how to pay for it all these negative comments don’t help the situation we the public should support servicemen operating in a very difficult environment

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