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Hugo

Just waiting for the next T23 to age out unexpectedly

Irate Taxpayer (Peter)

Hugo

Wih respect = there is nothing “unexpected” about the T23’s going out of service

They were only ever designed – way back in the ,id 1980’s – for a short woking life.

Peter (Irate Taxpayer)

Hugo

You know what I mean, none of them have met their official retirement dates, Lancaster probably will but that’s worse because it’s this year

Challenger

Clearly the revised OSD’s provided around the 2021 SDR were fanciful.

Irate Taxpayer (Peter)

Challanger

Agreed (about SDR 2021)

Not for the first time = UK defence policy was being planned around keeping a house of straw in operational service

Peter (Irate Taxpayer)

Andrew Deacon

Give it a decade and so will the T45s!

Supportive Bloke

They were built for a proper hull life and have proper planned maintained to ensure that happens.

Simon

Plus many have hardly been to sea given their length of service life.

Jon

I’d be very surprised if Richmond survives past the end of this year. It’s due for refit, but is likely to be in the same shape as Westminster and Northumberland.

Hugo

And still 3 years away from any replacement

Mark P

Do we know if there will be more than one RN frigate taking part in CSG25? I relise there will be at least one from Norway

Duder

We still do not know

Challenger

We’re now in situation where Portsmouth & Devonport have less than a dozen warships each! Must seem pretty empty most days.

Hugo

Not at all, the T45s keep the piers well stocked lol

Jim

Plus, don’t forget Montrose and Monmouth !

N-a-B

Up on the trots in Fareham Creek.

Jim

Yes I know, Fareham Creek Portsmouth along with the T45’s that Hugo mentioned in a jokey sort of way, I just thought I’d answer in a similar jokey way. They are a very sad sight now.
I haven’t seen you on here for a while, I always read your comments with interest.

Irate Taxpayer (Peter)

Jim

As a fairly fundamental operational principle, I would like to see (note 1) the quaysides at Plymouth, Portsmouth – and especialy up at Faslane – empty of all warships

= because a Navy rproperly belongs out at sea…….

Peter (Irate Taxpayer)

Note 1. Please Excuse the see pun

PS Nice to see you back N-a-B – good xmas break?

Jim

There is an issue with your wish as all three are actually full of ships and Subs…. It’s just that none of them bloody work !

“I see no Ships” and “There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today” are both quotes relevant today.

Kiss me Hardy.

Irate Taxpayer (Peter)

“There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today”

Famous words: once entered by the B**s***r Mr Beatty back in 1916…

Jim

However the one word “today” should have been omitted from the very end of your statement about the overall state of the RN fleet in 2025

After all,

= it has been quite obvious to everybody posting here on Navy Lookout that that there has been “something very wrong” with most of our ships over the past several years……………..

There are far to many “dockyard queens” in the fleet today

Peter (Irate Taxpayer)

Jim

Look on the bright side though, erm, err, hang on a minute, just having a think.
Bright side.

2 Girt ooge Flat Tops with masses of space to allow the USMC to launch and recover a significant number of F35’s saving the MOD billions.

Vastly reduced manpower wages bill.

Significant cuts to operational fuel bills.

Huge reduction in the purchase of Sausages, Beans and Eggs.

Huge areas of now disused bases ripe for development and the building of homes for the newly arrived ESA seekers (New Seekers).

And, we no longer have to send people to clear all the mines.

On the subject of Dockyard Queens, I do have a few stories but probably best not to go there.

Bit quite on the Narcissists front lately, it’s actually rather nice here, I think I’ll stay around.

Andrew Deacon

It’s been Dockyard and Warship cruise from Barbican on selected days for some time!

Jim

Soon Portsmouth will just have the 3 Carriers, HMS QE, HMS POW and HMS Gosport Ferry.

Andrew Deacon

Devonport will have HMS Cremyll Ferry and HMS Torpoint Ferry!

Jim

Been on them a few times. Early 80’s.

Jim

Of the original 16, there will soon only be 7 and more than likely just 4 active sometime next year. It’s going to be a long 3 years before any T26/31’s might actually be delivered.

nige

that’s if HMS Ventura ever comes out of the shed 😂

Jim

Yes, she does seem rather reluctant to “Venture forth into the Forth” lets hope Active is more active.

AlexS

Maybe RN will have to rent som frigates from aboard.

Jim

Ahh the oft mentioned ” Off the shelf option” !

Hugo

What options are there though, and don’t say LCS

Jim

I took his comment to be slightly sarcastic, there are no real options.
This Gap has loomed large for many years, just like the T45/T83 probably will.

AlexS

It was more asking for help to find some navy with surplus frigates and that RN would not take much difficultly training.

Duker

What a stupid remark. There are no spare Ships. What is your brain thinking ?

Jon

We could buy a couple of second-hand LPDs from Brazil and BAe have a frigate they are going to use for training. More seriously, we are in a mess at the moment and the biggest duty we have is to make sure we don’t stay in the mess. That means moving to continuous production at Rosyth and Govan, so Rosyth doesn’t go under in the early 2030s. We could do this on current spending levels if we ignore the Treasury when they insist we spend money in the wrong places.

Hugo

Unfortunately I just don’t see it, there’s no evidence we’ll go back to the small batch production with iterative improvements that many navies use today to keep their shipyards busy. We could totally sell off older ships even if it’s half way through their life as long as new ones came in, but instead they’ll be worked to the bone and have expensive and delayed replacements.

Watcherzero

O/T

BAE has submitted a revision to their previously approved plans for the modernised and upgraded Nuclear Berth at Devonshire, i.e. the nuclear fuelling berth. Its got some new renders with a Dreadnought class alongside.

Barrow planning application B31/2024/0557

Compared to the previously approved plans for the extension of the Quay workshop space is increased from 374 m2 to 1,100 m2 including 350 m2 of storage space. Office space in the five storey building has been sacrificed for expanding the Radiation Services Lab to now include the first 3 floors rather than 2 meaning less space available for offices which has primarily come at the expense of the MoD whose share of the 140 office desks on the 3rd floor of the building is being reduced from 49 desks to 8 after indicating they were willing to reduce their employee space requirement (looks like its primarily an office for holding and printing secure documents).

Jim

I guess gearing up for AUKUS ?

Irate Taxpayer (Peter)

Watcherzero

Thank you for the info on the planning application. I must admit that I had overlooked it

Sad fact of the matter is that this infrastructure project is, yet again, trying to make a silk purse out of the scrappy leftovers from a pigs dinner eaten fifty years ago.

Overall: Barrow is no longer fit for purpose (as the SSBM fire demonstrated).

Also Barrow needs proper road and rail links, to connect it to the real (outside) world = so the potential workforce can actually get there to work….

Barrow needs rebuilding – from scratch (and not on /reusing the existing site) – if it is ever going to build ARKUS submarines

Peter (Irate Taxpayer)

PS

And, reading between the lines of those recently reorientated geopolitical tea leaves……I am really begjnning to seriously wonder whether, – or more likely not? – those Aussie ARKUS submarines are ever going to be built here in the UK.

Jim

Before i ask what ARKUS is ? Can you please confirm that you are who you say you are and not someone who says they are you or maybe not you if they are not actually you pretending to be you.

I’m not being paranoid but I really don’t know who is who and Who isn’t who they say they are or not as the case may be.

I had to check to see If it’s me typing this or someone pretending to be me, I hope it is actually me and that I’m actually talking to you and not me pretending to be me and you at the same time as or you trying to be me as well as being you.

I don’t want to be talking to myself or any Wolfy Warrior Higher being just in case It’s not actually me but someone a bit barking mad that is pretending to be me, you and everyone else including a Wolf ?

ARKUS ?

Jon

What mortal hand or eye, Jim, could mimic either of you? You are both sui generis.

Jim

ha ha…… gratias tibi ago..

Irate Taxpayer (Peter)

Jim and Jon

Can you please post on Navy Lookout using proper Kings English

…..not in ancient Italian

Bon Vovage!

Peter (Irate Taxpayer)

Jim

Hey Bro like you is a dude Init, that’s what I is sayin like.

Is that any better ? I think I pretty much nailed the language of the “Youth of today”.

Last edited 22 days ago by Jim
Irate Taxpayer (Peter)

Jim

Sorry! My stupid spelling mistake

It should have read AUKUS

Peter (Irate Taxpayer)

PS
Being one of these new fangled Qwerty Keyboard Warriors is quite hard work = especially after only drinking one cup of coffee in the morning!

Jim

Phew, I’m so glad it’s actually you and not another you !

AUKUS, Easy mistake to make, one letter makes all the difference.

I was just reading about the latest AMG JISSM it’s rather a weapon by all accounts.

Tip, if you only have the one cup of coffee in the morning and it’s not enough, get a bigger cup !

See you on the next one.

Andrew Deacon

ARKUS is where submarines come out 2 by 2 rather than 1 every 2 years if you’re lucky!

Jim

Ha ha, We wish !

Astute launched in 2007, that’s 18 years ago now. Makes you wonder how AUKUS will fair.

Supportive Bloke

Thank you, Bernard.

So said Sir Humphrey!

Jim

I really missed out on that series, so wish I had watched it at the time, I’ve managed a few episodes and creased up, those two characters were spot on.

Spitting Image needs a return, Just think of the laughs we could have given the abundance of comical characters that festoon Westminster !

As for HMS Iron Duke, I would love to see her along side HMS Warrior eventually. It’ll never happen though.

Jon

Let’s get Iron Duke out to the Gulf first. I hope Peregrine will be integrated before that, or we’ll have wasted over another ten million quid and two more years of failing to put drones on ships.

Jim

It’s OK, It’s only Tax payers money, I’m sure RR can find a few more suckers to fleece. How about a window tax ? Or a Mansion Tax or an overseas tax haven tax or a tax on Channel crossings ?

Maybe a tax on Tea exports.

“Got any Tax”?

Tax is the new Spam, Tax Tax Eggs and Tax, Tax Eggs Chips and Tax, Tax Tax Tax Beans and Eggs and Tax, Tax Eggs Bacon and Tax, Tax Spam Eggs and Bacon and Cheese and Tax….. so on and so forth.

We could raise money by selling the Chagos Islands to Mauritius (who never actually owned them) instead of paying them 800 million a year for the privilege. Trump will be having the final say on that though. Hopefully we get a better deal on the FI’s.

Irate Taxpayer (Peter)

Jim

FRIENDLY ADVICE

Be very careful with your use of vey short two-letter acroymns

  • RR could Rachael from the Accounts Aepartment (Note 1)
  • or
  • RR could be Rolls Royce
  • = so IF you accuse the wrong RR of, to use your own words, “fleecing a few suckers“- then their very expensive corporate lawyers reprsenting the corporate RR might sue you….

Best to stick to RN and MOD offical policy: always use TLA’s.

Peter (Irate Taxpayer)

Note 1.

Credit must go to N-a-B for that one (posted a few weeks ago).

Jim

FAB.

A little know fact that FAB actually stood for Thunderbirds are brilliant. Useless info but true.
The person who came up with it was Di Sellick.

Last edited 22 days ago by Jim
Mousekid

Let’s keep old ‘Dukey’ going, there’s no finer sight than when she lifts her skirts and hits the gas. I remember running down a rogue Narwhal off the coast of Togo in the early 2000s, we touched 35 knots!! She was shaking like a pooing dog, the Old Man was beside himself, but orders are orders!! Happy days 🙂

Fat Bloke on Tour

Help me out here with the fast frigate vibe that has escaped the Treasury’s wrath / cut.

Total outsider here …
What is the speed needed for?
Anti-torpedo tactic — under attack then turn and run.
Working on the basis that the torpedo only has limited legs.

Asking for a friend.

Seems mental to put this amount of effort into a frigate’s powertrain.
28 knots should be enough with 22 knots for the batting packers.

Duker

WW2 Destroyers were slower than WW1 ones due to displacement and power to weight differences, even a child knows that. You need to use the internet like I do.

Duker

This is another imposter post. I’m being trolled by at least 12 different handles now.

Esteban

Four old frigates active and two destroyers. How did this happen?

Jim

Because the general public are more concerned about who wins Strictly and Love Island.

Jon

Having two destroyers active out of six is normal. Having five of the current eight frigates active is statistically very good. It’s been achieved by laying off or selling almost all the frigates that aren’t active.

Duker

How did this happen ?
Cameron-May- Truss-Sunak are the names you should sheet the blame

Boris was the only one who was worth his time in office

Duker

It’s not me, it’s Sock puppets from higher places directing agents from China to act like me and sound like me on this British site and I’m not really them even if I sound like them. They are Tom, Dick, Harry, Hugh and Jim and Hugo Pete and a few others but not Whale Island Zoo Keeper as he is me also and no one ever replies to us and that’s not fair.

Duker

This is not me, this is someone pretending to be me.

Duker

To all the sock puppets, I will continue to post here and I will continue to report anyone that doesn’t agree with me to admin, I shall also continue my condescending ways and passive aggressive behaviour whist always having the last say.
I will not apologise for acting this way over the many many years I’ve been on here and I don’t care about all the many sock puppets I have actively and successfully had removed.