Straight from your link -

Antarctic Patrol is undertaken by the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, HMS PROTECTOR, in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The Falkland Islands Patrol Task consists of a single warship (an OPV) stationed around the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Falkland Islands. It forms part of British Forces South Atlantic Islands and aims to reassure the inhabitants of the region and maintain British sovereignty. HMS CLYDE is the current unit undertaking this task and uses the deep water naval base facilities of Mare Harbour, East Falkland.

APT(N) is the Royal Navy’s commitment to secure and protect the interests of Great Britain and her Overseas Territories in the regions of the North Atlantic and the Caribbean. The deployment also conducts counter narcotics missions and provides humanitarian assistance during the hurricane season. The task is typically carried out by either an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) or Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). That'll be RFA Mounts Bay at the minute.

The Royal Navy maintains a regular (not permanent) presence in the South Atlantic and West Africa to provide reassurance to British interests, such as the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, while also supporting British Forces South Atlantic Islands. The commitment can be fulfilled by a frigate, destroyer or RFA vessel.

The Royal Navy maintains a continued maritime presence in the Gulf and Indian Ocean regions to protect and secure the nations many political and commercial interests. The enduring commitment usually consists of an escort (a guided-missile destroyer or frigate), four mine countermeasure vessels and a supporting RFA Bay Class. As of 2015, the UK has a permanent operating base in the region, HMS JUFAIR, located in Bahrain. - Which would have been fully met had Diamond not had her propulsion casualty. Choice between generating a ship at short notice for a nine-month deployment out East or gapping till a programme can be re-jigged. Undoubtedly not helped by the preps for T45 PIP, but not the end of the world either. The other element of KIPION (RFA plus 4 MCMV) on task.

The FRE/TAPS is a single frigate maintained at high-readiness in home waters, ready to react when required in support of homeland defence. Currently a T23 and ready.

Sending ships away for Xmas tends to have a somewhat adverse effect on retention if done without good reason. Looking after your people is a lesson the RN has learned the hard way in recent years.

I wonder if Cunard has the same problem with their Queen Lizzie?

Didn't something get wrapped round a prop earlier in sea trials....wonder if it was attached to something solid like the sea bed?

Nice summary not a boffin.

I'd say clear, concise and useful - but NICE??????

It's a disgrace TBH

Without fuss or fanfare, HMS Prince of Wales is afloat:
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-...ampaign=social

To summarise. The RN standing commitments to reassure and defend British interests around the world are currently maintained by an Offshore Protection Vessel, a Royal Fleet Auxilliary..... and an unarmed shore establishment.

ORAC,
Pretty sure that you can add at least one large, silent and pretty deadly submarine to that list...

I hope so as there is a persistent rumour that we were without any active SSN's for a while in Q1 2017

And there was a story of one prop shaft support being slightly out of alignment.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-...peller-issues/

Local rumours up here have her coming into Rosyth to dry-dock in the New year to have these issues sorted, now that PoW is out. Be interesting to see if that happens, as other local scuttlebutt had the dry dock unable to take a completed QE class due to displacement issues. (Hence why such a long fitting out period afloat)

Counting and comprehension not a strong suit then?

Not far off:

Britain has no warships deployed overseas in 'unprecedented' move blamed on defence cuts:
Britain has no warships deployed overseas in 'unprecedented' move blamed on defence cuts

Funny how we're due for a round of budget 're-profiling' in the new year and all of a sudden the navy finds itself in the headlines with no warships at sea.....

But there is an outcry over ‘unnecessary expense’ when new ones are being built in times of peace. (Not that right now seems particularly peaceful.)

Twere ever thus.

Personally I think the Japanese do it right - a steady flow of (relatively) low level builds with an incremental improvement in capability as they go along rather than "pulses" of new designs

That way you keep the build capacity, the learning curve is low and you don't have a situation where a whole class of your ships need replacing over a few years..............

On these words, chiselled into stone by HM Treasury, the Royal Navy died.

I do take issue with your requirements claim regarding OPVs though. Taking the FI as an example the requirements call for a vessel considerably more capable than an OPV and that that vessel should be augmented by another within ‘x’ days to provide a balanced capability when required.

Using OPVs and RFAs in such roles is based on what we have left rather than the military requirement. The RN is being slowly strangled and leaving minor vessels in potential hotspots, with no possibility of roulement by a true combat vessel, is the worst possible outcome. It burns money to give the illusion of military capability whilst providing none.

Others have provided commentary on the wisdom of purchasing OPVs purely to give UK companies something to do, so whilst I will acknowledge it I will not repeat it here.

yeah - think of Coronel in WW1 when Spee caught Craddock with his old, out of date fleet.................

Deployed overseas over the Holiday period are the following:

HMS Bangor, HMS Blythe, HMS Ledbury and HMS Middleton, supported by RFA Cardigan Bay and Fort Rosalie all conducting maritime security activity in the Gulf, with 849 NAS AWaCS Sea Kings embarked on Fort Rosalie.

RFA Mounts Bay is on patrol in the Caribbean.

HMS Clyde on duty in the South Atlantic with HMS Protector on survey duties.

HMS Enterprise is flagship of Standing Mine countermeasures Group 2 in the Mediterranean.

HMS Echo is conducting counter migrant operations in the Aegean.

One unidentified SSBN is on deterrent patrol "somewhere"

Six RN vessels in the UK are on Fleet Ready Escort standby.

A Type 45 AAW Destroyer is readying to deploy in early January to the Gulf.

A Type 45 AAW Destroyer will take over in early January as flagship of a NATO task group.

All of the above from the ROYAL NAVY, who I would trust more to know where their vessels are than that inaccurate poorly informed rag the Torygraph.

So nothing serious at sea except an SSBN - which is a VERY serious vessel

Why is anything 'serious' other than an SSBN required at sea OVER XMAS AND THE NEW YEAR????