https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/h...down-23trfhw5j
One of Britain’s most advanced warships has aborted a mission to the Gulf and is heading home after breaking down,
The Times can reveal.
HMS Diamond, a £1 billion Type 45 destroyer, had problems with a propeller that could not be fixed at sea despite the efforts of sailors on board. It is the latest debacle to beset the Royal Navy’s fleet of six destroyers, built by BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, which started entering service eight years ago. The other five warships are in Portsmouth because of routine maintenance, a shortage of sailors and problems with the engine, which struggles in warm water.
There is not thought to be any other ship, including among a fleet of 13 Type 23 frigates, that is ready to sail to replace
HMS Diamond, which had been two months into a nine-month deployment. This means that Britain will be unable to perform a long-running commitment to provide reassurance to allies in the Gulf region. A navy website reported that
HMS Diamond had been due to “be working with international and Nato allies to protect some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, keeping them free from criminal activities”.
It is rare for the navy to fail to fulfil one of its priority tasks and shows the strain that the service is under after decades of cuts to the size of the fleet and crews. “There is no question that this is a blow,” a defence source said. The prospect of all six Type 45s tied up in Portsmouth will be an uncomfortable one for Gavin Williamson, the new defence secretary......
Admiral Sir Philip Jones, head of the navy, is under pressure to demonstrate that the Type 45s work despite long-running problems with the engine in warm water. The latest failure will be of particular embarrassment because a television crew is on board. At first a temporary fix was attempted until it was decided that the complex nature of the equipment meant that the only solution was to return to Portsmouth.
It is thought that the warship will dock within ten days. A source said that while the failed task was a disappointment, at least the crew would have an unexpected Christmas with their families........