HMS Iron Duke has been quietly withdrawn from active service, leaving the Royal Navy with just five operational Type 23 frigates. Full credit to @NavyLookout who first reported this and whose in-depth analysis is well worth reading.
https://www.navylookout.com/another-...st-5-frigates/
Another warship quietly withdrawn – Royal Navy now down to just 5 frigates
HMS Iron Duke has been stripped of her weapons and sensors and has not been to sea since October 2025, despite no formal decommissioning announcement being made. Her withdrawal from active service, less than three years after a £103M refit, raises uncomfortable questions about the Royal Navy’s ability to sustain even its much-reduced surface fleet.......