UK Carriers – one and a spare, neither can resupply
The U.K. has two aircraft carriers, the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. Both are currently undergoing sea trials, the QE being further along in its works than the PoW. After a years-long struggle to get adequate radar systems from Thales, the big MIC conglomerate based in France, the two ships are finally afloat – but there is a small fly in the operational ointment:
The MoD had targeted 2026 for when the first of up to three logistics ships could provide ammunition, food and general stores to the carrier strike group, but that timeline has extended by up to three years as a result of ongoing uncertainty over the schedule to compete and build the vessels operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
According to both this article and one on The Telegraph (unfortunately behind a paywall if you abuse the occasional-read status like I have) at Telegraph say that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) should have three ‘solid support ships’ (ammunition, etc.) scheduled for 2026, but as far as I can tell the Fort-II class RFA Fort Victoria is the sole one now. The Fort Victoria has already had her retirement pushed back once and is due to retire in 2026. Did I mention she’s also down for maintenance for much of 2023?So replacements could take till 2029?
Then we get to the plethora for fleet oilers for liquid replenishment. The RN is so well supplied with them… well, they are not and haven’t been for years. They have purchased four Tide-class oilers but two are down for lack of available crew. The UK is supplementing their numbers with civilian oilers in theory, but as of a year ago one ship-to-ship link-up (in which no actual fuel was physically passed) is about the extent of it. UK Defense Journal
Sure sounds they are trying to base aircraft carrier operations on “hopefully”, eh?
Category: UK
“Hopefully” is not a battle plan. Horatio Nelson weeps.
“Hope” was the Obama plan for 8 years. Worked so well.
Underway Replenishment or UNREP with helos bring over loads slung underneath for a VERTREP is “kinda my thing”. I did 3 years on a fleet oiler, an AOR, deploying to the Med twice and the North Atlantic once as part of the Nimitz Battle Group. We did 100 plus on each with ships on either side half the time. Its one of the least “cool guy shit” things you can do but is absolutely 110% necessary. Without the capacity, your ship are costal defense vessels…no Blue Water capability. Seems like the RN should’ve had their support ships built before these 2 carriers. NOT a good look for the Admiralty…not good at all.
This issue has been on the horizon for years. Successive PMs keep kicking the can down the road.
Most of the population of the UK doesn’t care about the military.
Until the drums begin to roll. Then they care a lot.
Kipling was right.
“For it’s Tommy this, and Tommy that, and Tommy go away; but it’s ‘Thank you, Mister Atkins,’ when the band begins to play.”
I take it the RFA is their equivalent of our Military Sealift Command (MSC)?
RFA=Royal Fleet Adrift
Wise old test engineer told me two is one, and one is none. Scale as required.
Where progressive “woke” policies and funding get a nation’s military.
Just in… Brits can’t recruit enough submariners as Gen Z doesn’t want to be without its cellphones:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gen-z-don-t-want-135043349.html
When Britain soon falls to its combination of Marxists and barbarians, their lack of a functional military will be a plus.
Like the Talibastards can’t keep their helos, HMMWVs and M16s working.
Shit, they don’t need to keep them working. They will just sell them to someone else. The helos and the rifles would be something that a criminal organization such as the Mexican cartels can use. With Viktor Bout a free man, that shit can end up anywhere.