Oldnotbold,
thanks for reviving this link, I had forgotten it existed! In particular I noticed it says:
The RN is particularly short of escort vessels needed to protect merchant shipping from submarine, air or missile attacks.
In addition to the actual RN submarines that carry these weapons, there is a need for trained and experienced personnel to man them and other submarines and ships to protect them at times. The RN is already short of these resources.
As with protecting trade, the RN simply does not have the number of ships needed to patrol the large areas used by terrorist traffic.
The concept of a 'fleet in being' is a cornerstone in the defence of the UK and its interests.
The current government has allowed the RN's fishery protection fleet to fall to a laughable 3 vessels dedicated to patrolling UK waters.
As a 'cost saving measure' the government plans to privatise search and rescue cover from 2012 and replace experienced RN and RAF crews with private contractors.
Which all say to me it is a mistake to sacrifice escorts and reduce the size of the RN in order to get carriers - even if they do contribute to one or two of the tasks above.