Originally Posted by
Asturias56
When the carriers were first mooted there was a strong view expressed by some on here that this would divert funding and manpower away from what the navy was already doing.
This has come to pass.
We have two carriers but the tasks which were carried out by destroyers & frigates are now carried out by the likes of the "Argos" or a tanker - if they are carried out at all.
You cannot deny the Navy is being hollowed out - the fact that this co0incides withe need to keep the carriers (or at least one carrier) active is no coincidence.
The carriers were first mooted in 1996 - and those who were mooting on here were not around at the time. These tasks for frigates that you bang on about may not actually require a frigate, but that's largely because you don't understand what they're for.
The factors that are "hollowing out" the navy as you put it (RFA pay and conditions, failure to order and build T23 replacements and amphibious doctrine) really do not have anything to do with the carriers.