In this snapshot of the Royal Navy escort fleet status, we see the status of individual ships and what they’re up to.
Currently, 46.67 per cent of the Royal Navy’s escort vessels (Type 45 Destroyers and Type 23 Frigates) are active or immediately deployable.
This percentage reflects the rigorous demands and complexities of maintaining a modern and technologically advanced fleet, coupled with crewing concerns.
The data suggests that the Royal Navy has managed to enhance the availability of the fleet despite the reduction in total numbers, which is more than that below.
The Royal Navy continues to meet its operational commitments, but this article is not intended to explain the why, how, or rationale for various levels of availability. Particular gratitude goes to the diligent efforts of Open Source Intelligence analyst and renowned UK naval commentator Britsky (@TBrit90) for providing the data.
Now, here are the figures.
Type 45 Destroyers
Total Number: 6, Currently Active: 2 (33.33% of the class), Currently Unavailable: 4 (66.67% of the class)
- HMS Daring: Unavailable, undergoing refit at Portsmouth.
- HMS Dauntless: Active, conducting Trials in the Channel.
- HMS Diamond: Unavailable, undergoing refit at Portsmouth.
- HMS Dragon: Unavailable, reactivation at Portsmouth.
- HMS Defender: Unavailable, undergoing refit at Portsmouth.
- HMS Duncan: Deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Type 23 Frigates
Total Number: 9, Currently Active: 5 (55.56% of the class), Currently Unavailable: 4 (44.44% of the class)
- HMS Lancaster: Deployed in the Persian Gulf, part of Operation Kipion.
- HMS Iron Duke: Active, operating in the Channel.
- HMS Northumberland: Unavailable, undergoing refit at Devonport.
- HMS Richmond: Active, operating in the Channel, TAPS role.
- HMS Somerset: Active, operating in the Channel.
- HMS Kent: Unavailable, undergoing refit at Devonport.
- HMS Portland: Unavailable, alongside at Devonport, likely maintenance or leave.
- HMS St Albans: Active, operating in the English Channel during work-up.
- HMS Sutherland: Unavailable, undergoing refit at Devonport.
The recent trend, particularly within the Type 45 Destroyers and Type 23 Frigates, shows a positive shift towards increased operational availability.
Earlier in the year, a lower percentage of these ships were active or immediately deployable, with the majority undergoing maintenance or refit. However, recent data indicates a marked improvement, with more ships transitioning from maintenance to active status.
This improvement is particularly notable in the Type 23 Frigates, where the percentage of active ships has risen significantly, reflecting better fleet management and possibly more efficient maintenance practices. The removal of HMS Argyll from service has also played a role in this trend. While this reduced the overall number of Type 23 Frigates from 10 to 9, it has not hindered the increase in the percentage of active or deployable ships.
On the contrary, the focus has seemingly shifted to maintaining the readiness of the remaining vessels, leading to a higher proportion of the fleet being operational. The Royal Navy has managed to enhance the availability of the fleet despite the reduction in total numbers. This trend suggests a strategic shift in the Royal Navy’s approach to fleet readiness and operational capacity. By improving the availability of its remaining vessels, the Royal Navy has increased its ability to respond to operational demands.
The data, in summary, indicates a focus on maximising the utility of the existing fleet, ensuring that a more significant percentage of ships are prepared for immediate deployment when needed.
Interesting that the focus is on %availability rather than numbers. Of course with a smaller fleet size, the impact on % both positive and negative is much bigger. So arguably, our carrier availability dropped by 50% this year, but it’s just one ship. It would be better if they also include 2/6 available / active etc for Type 45. That actually drives different decisions for example in government.
Exactly
7 Ships active, shameful, shocking and these % figures are a poor reflection of positive spin being put on a dire state of affairs.
Agree
Thanks, I Agree with most of your comments too but I do admit to having issues with some !!!! It’s all part of a healthy debate though.
I guess you were never in the Navy! Based on the rule of 3, which not everyone now agrees with but it is a useful broadbrush yardstick – you could expect 1/3 of our ships to be at sea on task, 1/3 in refit, 1/3 alongside for minor maintenance and crew downtime, and being ‘the next vesels to sail’. In practice, 2/6 of the T45s are at sea on task, so that is bang ‘on the money’. 5/9 (56% of our frigates are at sea on task – far more than a third. So very good stats really. Having said… Read more »
Yes, as you well know there are so many on here who join in the discussions who have not served.
I have as much right as anyone here to express my opinion.
Sorry but it’s 7 ships and that’s not good either way you view things.
Add that not one Astute is out there and we have just one Tide with enough crew and no Fort, I’d say it was even worse than Dire.
My comment about ‘serving’ was not meant to be unkind at all – just an observation on you not knowing what figures reflect acceptable availability. I had hoped that you would now accept that 7 ships active (at sea, on task) out of 15 was an excellent figure, given the rule of 3 where perhaps only 5 could be expected to be active, but you seem not to be convinced. Warships are incredibly complex platforms and need a lot of maintenance, whether it is a major refit or less time-consuming maintenance alongside and you just cannot expect a high availability.… Read more »
Sorry Graham but I have had it thrown back at me many times and recently with some vile hatred too from the Genetic engineer person, another calling himself Coll and now another village idiot called Trev….. all on top of certain other posters picking me up for not having served. It get’s a bit tedious to be honest.
Please ignore my tone towards you because to be honest I’ve always got on well with you and what you post over many years.
So what would you do about it then?
Robert, that’s just a stupid question that you are asking just to wind things up as usual.
You tell me that this situation is anything other than dire mate.
Then tell everyone else on this thread that it’s all rosy.
It’s not, we know it and so should you.
It isn’t dire. It isn’t great but you should see the state of most other Navy’s. The RNs output is still very high. And we do have 13 new escorts in build. T45 upgrades coming along. Sub maintenance issues are seeing the end of the road, and the F35B is amazing.
Right here and right now, It’s a mess.
I’m sorry you can’t or won’t see it but previous experience seems to suggest that you choose to ignore the obvious in favour of turning a blind eye.
I’m not turning a blind eye. But supporting a fleet is not as simple as people think. And other nations have far worse problems. Some difficult choices have to be made sometimes to plan for the future. Successive governments have made mistakes that sometimes takes years to hit the frontline. The RN is managing what’s it got, and still has assets and capabilities other nations would bite the right arm off for.
It’s ok to have opinions, but nothing to offer to rectify the situation? So if you was the defence secretary. What would you do.
My opinions are shared by most others on here, why just ask me ?
Because you talk the most guff.
If your capabilities don’t meet the requirements you increase your capabilities. That’s achieved by increasing the resources that build your capabilities or you increase the efficiency of the capabilities you currently have. This may require increased funding. This additional funding might be achieved through shifting government funding from less core areas of business such as foreign aid for Women’s Opera houses in China or the paint budget for rainbow Police Cars.
Some out of the box ideas…
Continue with FSS.
Cancel MRSS, sell off the LPDs, scrap Argus, buy another 2 spot Enforcer and fit steel beaches or slipways to the last 2 Type 31s.
Build another 4 T26 with Camm-ER
Keep 4 T23 ASW going as long as possible.
Buy 5 Kongsberg Vanguard as T32.
3 more P8s
6 more Merlins.
Statistical gobblygook. So 2 destroyers and 5 frigates. Wow.
Quite good figures, in my opinion. The ‘rule of 3’ would anticipate 2 destroyers and just 3 frigates being on task at sea.
The major issue is with the SSNs and the RFA fleet.
But, and don’t take this the wrong way, just go back to 1980 and see what the % would look like back then. I think the real issue that most of us have here is the sheer lack of numbers now.
Iwas thinking of years gone by and fairly recent ones at that. It wasn’t long ago that we could have had double otr three times the number today. As for the SSNs goodness knows whats happening there.
Indeed, and 5 of those 7 are in The Channel, so only 2 out of 15 actually deployed really.
Not good reading Tim, no matter how we look at it.
Remember the integrated review and the subsequent command papers? Globally active with a tilt to the Pacific and deploying a CSG and 2 LSGs. In reality, we would need almost all the available escorts and the 1 available submarine to protect one of these properly. With the news that pay increases will have to be met from existing budgets, it is obvious that the new government won’t increase defence funding much,if at all. Is therefore time for the the RN to get real and prioritize our own self defence. Scrap the Albions. Use one carrier in an amphibious role (… Read more »
– Scrap the Albions. Think about the messaging that sends out? It is no longer maybe they won’t but they cannot……that is Falkland’s type messaging…..and we know how that went…. – Use one carrier in an amphibious role ( not enough F35s for both) You need two carriers to have one available. The amphib mods were never made to PoW. – Bring the R2s back to the UK to act as mine warfare motherships Totally unsuitable vessels for that role – Abandon T32, I think that will become a reserve function – MRSS. So what happens when the Bays fall… Read more »
Indeed the message we send to the likes of Russia or China is we talk the talk but have little deterrent tontheir criminal ambitions. Until we have at least 30 escorts we have little weight globally.
And Russia continues to lose warships to a nation that doesn’t really have a Navy. What message does that send to us? That they are bloody useless.
The same fleet that has just launched 28 Kalibr’s at Ukraine a couple days ago, A capability the Royal Navy doesn’t currently have..
Ukrainians still got work to do in that regard
But did any of those 28 actually hit anything. The Russians are good at talking. Their capability says otherwise. Some people still talk that Russia could roll into Europe untouched. Yet it is taking everything they, to have a stale mate with Ukraine.
1. The Albions are already out of action and largely uncrewed. 2. Using a carrier which is fully crewed in an amphibious role makes sense if future insertion is more likely to be by helicopter. The Albions flight decks aren’t large enough. With too few F35s, we can’t operate both as strike carriers when both are available. 3. The RNs own website refers to using autonomous minehunting PODS on the R2s. 4. T32 has no funding and so far no evolved design. 5. MRSS also has no funding or settled design. Given the general view that sea landing on contested… Read more »
Albions are 2 chinook spot capable…Been there proved that.
I would say that is pretty bloody big enough!
Believe there is a real, semi-viable plan being executed to address submarine maintenance issues, per article on NL? 🤔
I think there is a perfectly good plan – just started ten years too late.
🤔👍
The Bays are in very good nick. They are not going to fall apart anytime soon. I have done enough work on them over the years to state that with confidence. I served on Bulwark when it was Amphib Flagship . We did Northern Flank and Far East deployments and I was heavily into the amphibiosity concept. However, the primary role for them which was reinforcing Norway and the Northern Flank has been overtaken by events with Sweden and Finland joining NATO. You can now run regular ferries from Denmark to Sweden in a few hours far more easily than… Read more »
“ The Bays are in very good nick. They are not going to fall apart anytime soon.”
They are a good spec and have been run continuously with proper maintenance.
What was the design life? 25-30 years?
Usual issues over parts to the end of that window.
They fall under Civilian Merchant ship rules from UKMCA and Lloyds. A lot lot different from RN warship rules.
More frequent docking and hull inspections and detailed inspections of machinery and systems.
The RN stuff doesn’t dock as often but the inspections of machinery is the same.
Spares are pretty straight forward to get. If you cannot get a spare you fit the latest available part as long it matches in fit, form and purpose. Thats pretty standard across the whole Ship Repair world.
Activity/deployment and available are to very different things and really should not be shoved into together… Also it’s worth noting your level of activity can and does negatively impact on your level of availability….but if you drop your activity below a level you will then also negatively impact on availability and quality ( essentially you being to loss training and expertise). Activity is also a key function of deterrent, as you need to prove you are capable of deploying…but to much activity reduces you ability…. the RAND did a very interesting study in the activity, availability and maintenance cycles of… Read more »
Yes Minister 🙂
Lancaster is shown as ACTIVE but uit does leave periods and maintenance alongside whilst part of the Kipion area. that doesn’t get shown.
Thats why the term active is not a realistic measurement of OC.
HMS Diamond placed into refit at Portsmouth before HMS Daring and Dragon return to active status? Very interesting. If this refit includes the PIP, CAMM and Sea Viper Evolution mods, methinks the blokes down at the Admiralty are in significant danger of becoming serious about accelerating this readiness concept. Hmmm…🤔😉
Agree – in my opinion i would have kept Diamond operational until Dragon at least, and Daring preferably were ready to return to the active fleet.The PIP process should be well known by now but the Missile Upgrades have yet to be completed so delays may happen.
Good spot. There has been a string of articles reporting on RN and MoD initiatives to innovate and accelerate the way procurement, maintenance and training are done. These are obviously paying dividends. Credit where it’s due .
👍 Rule Britannia! 🇬🇧 Now, if the current crop of despots would only cooperate re the timeline before committing real aggression…🤞 NATO may become ready for global conflict by the 2040s…🤞🤞
Regarding HMS Somerset, does it have NSM fitted and if so has it been through any trials yet?
NL has posted today that she is back out at Sea with NSM re-instated, so Trials should be on the cards shortly.
Thank you for the reply👍
Let’s be honest, 2 out of 6 destroyers available, 0 assault ships despite having 2, 0 Astute class available despite having 5, it’s only a matter of time before nothing is available. …..
Not-a-lot + Not-a-lot is still Not-a-lot. I thought the RN was supposed to operate a 2/3rd forward, 1/3rd reserve rule. Feels like it’s the wrong way round.
So has the Indo – Pacific tilted to the English Channel?
I noted that. 3 frigates operating in channel that highly contested waterway. 😀
Intimidating for the small boats though 🙂
Apparently not !
We have to rely on rough weather it seems.
Someone has to keep an eye on those french fishermen….
Focusing on percentages is laughable when the fleet can be counted on your fingers! Talk about putting a sugar coating on things!
What about the attack subs, ermm big fat zero there for the navies prime asset.
A genuine question to those who have served. With Astute subs non operational, some for over a year, and just 2 T45s and 5T23s available, the Albions in reserve, why are we short of crews? What happens to the crew of Ambush that has been out of action since 2022?
Just because the SM is alongside waiting for a docking period, doesn’t mean the crew can go elsewhere. You will find that the SMs are all still fully crewed, as they have to be, daily routines still require the crew.
As Deep said below crews will still be needed on vessels in refit. You still do “stuff” despite not being at sea. LPDs especially are SQEP black holes. They have unique systems on just 2 ships. You need to be qualified and signed off for Watchkeeping and Ship Safety onboard before taking on your role properly. Thats usually a 4-week period of bedlam after joining for that to happen even with prior experience. My PJT(Pre Joining Training) course package to just walk up the gangway and join an LPD as a WO System Engineer post was over 4 months of… Read more »
15 escorts in the entire RN fleet is hopeless. One or two will be retired before any new builds finally arrive. Improving availabilty helps but doesn’t increase the desperately few we have. Not enough even for peacetime but we’re in extremely dangerous times.
15 is a rather optimistic number due to the fact that just 7 are actually able to get out there and the 9 T23’s will soon be a more than likely 7 pretty soon.
And that’s not even realistic over the next 5-6 years given the gap to Glasgow and Venturer.
The 6 T45’s will probably become 3-4 max before any T83’s are even “laid down”.
This situation is Dire and getting worse every year/government
For some bizarre reason, what is blatantly obvious to posters on various sites, this fact seems to have escaped our successive governments, go figure!!
If all the remaining T-23s are equipped w/ tails, receive the PGMU mod, and are generally sea-worthy, predict the RN will be able to “muddle through” until T-26 and T-31 become available. 🤞 Certainly not the optimal way to run a railroad, or navy, but God protects Mad Dogs and Englishmen.
Yes God may well do so, but, getting that ‘abandoned ‘ by God and all and sundry sort of feeling just lately!
We seem hellbent on running what’s left of our forces into the ground, or at least to a token force structure. Still, tomorrow’s another day and the glass might well be half full instead of half empty!!
Exactly, I really don’t see many posting up beat comments on these sites and now we are all waiting with bated breath to find out what’s next for the Axe.
Perhaps you could write to Ms Reeves with your correct assessment because I’ve just listened to a piece on times radio and the talking head said the SDR is not going to be good and HMT want a 2.5% cut to the budget!
I think we can forget about Labour going to a 2.5% defence budget for the foreseeable.
Well that’s pretty amazing to see mate. Hope we don’t see any more cuts though.
I’m not a naval man but I can count. At sea / operational we have 7 destroyers/frigates , 1 aircraft carrier but not enough planes, no assault ships, no Astute class submarines. That makes our surface fleet 8, modern attack submarines 0. Don’t think the Royal Navy really exists anymore, scuppered by the Conservatives, with the new Labour government promising more of the same. Honesty seems to be totally lacking,
Chris
Yup, that about sums it up. As for the Carriers, One will be going half way around the World again in a sort of flag waiving venture but I can see no real reason why given the state of the rest of the navy (and lack of F35 numbers) when the real threat at this time comes from a lot closer to home.
I’m no Navy or Military expert but I do have half a brain.
“the real threat at this time comes from a lot closer to home.” What threat? ivan? The northern fleet including its subs would last around 2 days if it came out to play in the Atlantic. It wont because it will be used in the Bastions in the White and Kara sea etc to protect the Bombers. Up there is the realm of SSNs you are not sending anything on the surface into that area without flattening everything ashore first. The RN and the USN are not to send carriers to do Alpha strikes against Murmansk and Archangel anymore. You… Read more »
Yes “Ivan.”
As we have been seeing for a few years now.
Other than the Red Sea, I see no serious threats that warrant sending such a huge chunk of our armed forces to the other side of the World, again.
If reports are correct, 3 of our escorts will be going, one Tide a Bay and Argus, maybe one Astute and the vast majority of our F35’s.
But I’m happy if you are.
The long term planning for deployments starts 5 years in advance to ensure everyone going on deployment is in date for maint. It also is done to ensure cover at home is in date for maint. The Astute issue is massive but no matter what the planning was they got screwed by external factors beyond the planners control. ie the ship lift going duff in Faslane and the Devonport docks being upgraded to meet nuclear regulator requirements brought in because of an earthquake and tidal wave in Japan…just in case the same thing happen in Guz… Anyway if they are… Read more »
I enjoyed the bit about a “modern fleet” when the 23’s were 1980’s builds in the main and the D Class were 00’s.
A 1990s T23 bears no resemblance to a 2020s T23 either internally or externally.
Every weapon system and most mechanical systems have been upgraded or physically replaced by more modern systems over the years.
Oh dear. Headline figure might be 46% availability but that only equates to 6 warships. 2 destroyers and 4 frigates. Shocking state of affairs. Despite an impending budget crises, rising taxes and a gigantic deficit we have to do better and more.
The government need to invest now for the future. So a 2nd batch of type 31s, 2-3 more type 26 and push onward with Aukus subs and type 83.
If you dispose of inactive warships, as the Navy has, the the proportion of active vessels will increase. What matters I’d tge number of available vessels.
Unless I missing something, this articles reference to the type 23 fleet is nonsense.
2027: The MOD has announced the current availability of its ships. The Minister told Parliament that up until yesterday we currently had 66.6% availability of our 3 remaining Frigates. HMS KNACKERED Active. Operating in the Channel. HMS WORNOUT Active. Operating in the Channel HMS RUSTBUCKET Unavailable in refit at Devonport However, since last night’s devastating fire aboard HMS RUSTBUCKET in the dry dock at Devonport – which has completely destroyed the ship and all indications are that the only option is for her to be scrapped – the Minister was pleased to announce the our Frigate availability had now risen… Read more »
The removal of HMS Argyll from service has also played a role in this trend. While this reduced the overall number of Type 23 Frigates from 10 to 9, it has not hindered the increase in the percentage of active or deployable ships. This paragraph makes no sense. Of course if you take out from the force a ship that was knackered and was making part of inactive ships the percentage of active ships increase by its retirement. The whole exercise percentage at such small fleet and without any analysis of refits time and schedule looks more like a Sir… Read more »
Anything not in a refit is available. Just Because a crew is on leave or a vessel is in a 4 week FTSP alongside doesn’t mean it cannot go if needed Many are the times I got the cascade call to get back to the ship we are going out to play. You sail with min crew if needed with the rest catching up as required via helo or boat transfers. Once again its the measurement of Operational Capability allied to Notice for Sea that counts. You can be alongside and still have shed loads of OC but at a… Read more »
Less ships will mean a higher percentage available , its basic maths , it doesnt necessarily mean more ships in actual hulls in the water and available , although in this case I,m please to see that it is the case .
Morning Gents. Could they add another category-time available in an emergency? In 1982 there were a number of ships that were “dusted off” and sent to the South Atlantic at very short notice. Hermes for example looked as though it had been pulled out of the scrap yard! What about ships that were in for repairs to items that she needed doing but could do without and operate at least at part of her potential ?
In such an emergency all available Ships would be assessed as to their suitability for resuming service – that would be the case now as it was in 1982.Obviously the pool of Ships to assess now is vastly smaller.
Thanks Paul
Maybe you can still bring HMS Victory to open sea…and there is still HMS Belfast.
Ah HMS Belfast-birth town of most of my family 😀 Can you imagine-she wore her main guns out in just one(Heavy) engagement on D-Day
That is where Readiness States, Operational Capability and Notice for Sea come in. That is already done by the RN and has been for decades. OC lets you know the material state of onboard systems and crew. Notice for Sea lets you know how long it takes a vessel to get to sea Readiness states lets you know how much external help a vessel will need to go to sea. For an on call vessel OC is high with minimal defects extant. The readiness state is high to assist with clearing defects at short notice such as spares delivery or… Read more »
Hey thanks GB. You are the go-to for this kind of detail. Cheers from Durban
Might as well scratch HMS Northumberland off that list, by all accounts. That leaves just 8.
You just increased the % of those available.
Shhhh, don’t tell Britsky that !!!!
And what are we supposed to use to protect the aircraft carriers , it’s pretty dire , a non existant naval force , thank goodness China is on the other side of the world and not interested to pop over and visit us .
Forget percentages useful when you had 30+ ships, forget navy speak. Just remember numbers– EIGHT available ships ZERO modern attack submarines, not enough planes for our carriers . My only worry about sending a carrier to the far east is based on the recent experience it would break down and have to be towed back !!!!
I wonder if there’s a bit of a natural peak and trough effect at play too, a lot were in serious refits at the same time, not necessarily by design, and now a few have come out. But will we have another very low period in a few years time? I also worry that the fact the T45s have spend so long alongside and being refitted means they’ll last “too long” and mess up the shipbuilding drumbeat we’re trying to achieve. Perhaps a couple could be sold off “early-ish” for actual money rather than pennies in the pound, in order… Read more »
7.
7 surface combatants operational in the whole UK.
Pity the voting public are so stupid they cannot hold government officials – past and present – accountable, proof people are more stupid than those of the past (think we want eight from the 1900s)
I do wonder if, in addition to oft discussed crewing issues and material condition, that treasury pressure for in-year program savings has been a factor in the fate of Argyll, Westminster and Northumberland.