We’re getting a new “National Flagship”
Royal Yacht cancelled according to the popular press
well they would as they were big supporters of it - but +£200 mm is an easy win for Sunak. The queen is no longer, Charles apparently wasn't a fan , Boris is submerged. With luck they may use the money for soemthing more useful - another patrol boat for example
Can the PM/King share a Flagship with the RN....a Carrier each for example or a pair of Cruisers?
Yes - especially if they like staying in Rosyth!
Last edited by Asturias56; 1st Nov 2022 at 08:50.
HMS Bronington .....Just needs some speedtape a couple of bungs , and a pump out ; and she'll be as good as new .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bronington_(M1115)
With the added benefit that King Charles won't need a full conversion course , it was only during the long hot summer of '76 that he commanded her .
rgds condor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bronington_(M1115)
With the added benefit that King Charles won't need a full conversion course , it was only during the long hot summer of '76 that he commanded her .
rgds condor
I'm sure BAe would be pleased to quote to upgrade the "Brittania"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63547568
Plans for a national flagship yacht to promote the UK abroad have been shelved, the defence secretary has announced.
Ben Wallace told MPs a competition to build the vessel, estimated to cost up to £250m, had been terminated.
The ship was commissioned by former PM Boris Johnson last year to host trade fairs and diplomatic events. No 10 said it was right to "prioritise" spending "at a time when difficult spending decisions need to be made". The move comes as the government searches for spending cuts ahead of an autumn statement on 17 November, also likely to include tax rises. Labour's shadow defence secretary John Healey said he welcomed the news "the previous prime minister's vanity project has been scrapped".
The vessel, which was never given a name, would have succeeded the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was retired in 1997 after 44 years in service. It was originally meant to cost £150m when first announced, but Mr Wallace last year put the price at between £200m and £250m. The government had said it wanted the ship to be built in the UK, and enter service in 2024 or 2025.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Wallace said the government was "accelerating" the development of research and surveillance ships. He added that, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it was "right that we prioritise delivering capabilities that safeguard our national infrastructure". A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters: "With Russia's ongoing illegal war, it is right that we prioritise our capabilities." Mr Sunak "thinks it is right to prioritise at a time when difficult spending decisions need to be made," the spokesman added.
Speaking at an event to promote the flagship last year, Mr Wallace promised it would be the "jewel in the crown" of the government's shipbuilding strategy. "Our ambition is for something special, not just a cutting-edge ship, but a truly national flagship," he said. "I want the grandparents of the future, to boast to their grandchildren and say one day 'I helped to build that ship!'" he added. In a report last year, the Commons defence committee estimated the flagship would require 50-60 personnel and cost £20-30m a year to run. This would add to "ongoing pressure on an already constrained naval budget," the committee added.
Plans for a national flagship yacht to promote the UK abroad have been shelved, the defence secretary has announced.
Ben Wallace told MPs a competition to build the vessel, estimated to cost up to £250m, had been terminated.
The ship was commissioned by former PM Boris Johnson last year to host trade fairs and diplomatic events. No 10 said it was right to "prioritise" spending "at a time when difficult spending decisions need to be made". The move comes as the government searches for spending cuts ahead of an autumn statement on 17 November, also likely to include tax rises. Labour's shadow defence secretary John Healey said he welcomed the news "the previous prime minister's vanity project has been scrapped".
The vessel, which was never given a name, would have succeeded the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was retired in 1997 after 44 years in service. It was originally meant to cost £150m when first announced, but Mr Wallace last year put the price at between £200m and £250m. The government had said it wanted the ship to be built in the UK, and enter service in 2024 or 2025.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Wallace said the government was "accelerating" the development of research and surveillance ships. He added that, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it was "right that we prioritise delivering capabilities that safeguard our national infrastructure". A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters: "With Russia's ongoing illegal war, it is right that we prioritise our capabilities." Mr Sunak "thinks it is right to prioritise at a time when difficult spending decisions need to be made," the spokesman added.
Speaking at an event to promote the flagship last year, Mr Wallace promised it would be the "jewel in the crown" of the government's shipbuilding strategy. "Our ambition is for something special, not just a cutting-edge ship, but a truly national flagship," he said. "I want the grandparents of the future, to boast to their grandchildren and say one day 'I helped to build that ship!'" he added. In a report last year, the Commons defence committee estimated the flagship would require 50-60 personnel and cost £20-30m a year to run. This would add to "ongoing pressure on an already constrained naval budget," the committee added.
So is Research and Surveillance code for another droggie vessel or a spy trawler?
yes - but an EXPENSIVE one - not a ghastly converted trawler - maybe they'll take one of those CALMAC ferries off the Scottish Govt........
That would make sense - and maybe they could also partly replace the "Diligence" as well
Of course the other thing you need is your primary customer within the RN to acknowledge the need and hence budget requirement. Something that said primary customer has been spectacularly unwilling to do for the last fifteen years.
On that we heartily agree.
I do wonder what goes through the minds of politicians - they KNOW that kit needs replacing - after all they have a 30 year warning - but it always seems to surprise them. And maybe look at the manning numbers, the number of people leaving and the number joining.... it's not exactly high science.
I do wonder what goes through the minds of politicians - they KNOW that kit needs replacing - after all they have a 30 year warning - but it always seems to surprise them. And maybe look at the manning numbers, the number of people leaving and the number joining.... it's not exactly high science.
The pollies will only supply something if it is asked for. The issue with Diligence is that the primary user within the RN was unwilling to acknowledge that requirement as it would involve having to pay for it.
If you think its bad in the military you should hear my friends in the Police about the battles that go on to try and push work (and especially overtime) onto someone else's budget line while retaining the bodies and tasks in your own hands....
They tend to choose whatever is in the news at the moment - so everyone right now is trying to shove things onto People Trafficking and Illegal immigrants as they think the Home Office will pick up some of the tab. So if you're stopped and asked "Is that woman in the front seat a Romanian refugee, Sir" you can guess which box it'll go under.
They tend to choose whatever is in the news at the moment - so everyone right now is trying to shove things onto People Trafficking and Illegal immigrants as they think the Home Office will pick up some of the tab. So if you're stopped and asked "Is that woman in the front seat a Romanian refugee, Sir" you can guess which box it'll go under.
