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Bryan robinson

A very sad decision

Anonymous

Hope they be taken all the tooling and engineering supplies off of her , the ship is tired but her workshops are the best in the fleet .

Rob

They have to crew the tide class….so whilst sad I understand the reasoning, plus the workshops can prob be made plug and play if required onboard a bay class

She did need replacing

Anonymous

Served on this ship many times before and after her name change whilst serving in the RFA a great ship and will be hard to replace

kieran

To be honest I can see this capability coming back quite quickly once the rfa has recovered from its manpower crisis. Caused by the sdsr 2010. All in all the worse defence review ever to the point where nearly all decisions it made have been reversed if possible. It takes time to train the new people comeing up through the training.

The GInge

I suggest all those readers contact their MP and point out the loss of capacity. Yes it can be replaced but it is a very important capacity that there is no plan to replace, not one. Unless we kick up a fuss then this will slip by MPs who have no idea what is being lost.
So get out there and take the time one Saturday morning to book an appointment with your MP of whatever colour red/blue/yellow and point out what this means.

Chaffers

Have done…
Saying that the blog title should be Save the Royal Navy from itself..
Just in the last few days the Home Affairs select committee, chaired by that noted warmonger Keith Vaz, are calling for RN vessels in the channel to prevent illegal immigration / Jihadi smuggling. Post Brexit and with two new OPVs about to pop off the production line, with an expensive survey vessel in the Med doing a remarkably similar mission, with severe manpower shortages and with various documents from the SDSR or the National Strategy for Maritime Security listing such things as important…
Now some might say this was a heaven sent opportunity to display a can do attitude, gain a PR victory and press a case for increased funding to actually carry out this mission on a full time basis, therefore securing more manpower and hulls.
The Navy’s response? Announce that they’ll sell off three perfectly good OPVs, sell a recently refitted RFA early and say it is the responsibility of the Border Agency.
You couldn’t make it up. I never thought I’d actually prefer the slimy and slick PR of the RAF but this is…. Cabbage like behaviour.

Kev Smith

Served on her in the Gulf as part of Naval Party 1600, great memory’s and sad to see, she is the only ship I served on still not reduced to scrap.As a Birkenhead lad, ex Lairds and then RN, I will be waving a sad farewell to the Dill when she leaves…

Samuel

After scrapping another ship…how long will it be until we hear “Royal Navy scrapped without replacement” ? After the Falklands conflict you would hope the govts had learned something…but obviously not 🙁

Steve

Seeing as she’s just had a recent refit, why isn’t she mothballed and kept in reserve rather than sell /scrap.

Samuel

Or even loaned out…brings in a bit of cash and keeps a good ship simultaneously 🙂

Roger Robin

Former XO and CO of this fine ship. Are was state of the art when she was taken up from trade (STUFT) to serve as Sub Base in South Georgia in the aftermath of hostilities in the SOUTLANT and serve Captain Chris Knapp arranging services to strengthen the damaged areas of HMS Southampton after a ding with the containership Torbay in the SoH. After the work was completed we towed her alongside Diligence through the SoH to disembarrass the damaged Missiles and 4.5 Gun Ammunition. The explosives were removed through the hole in the underside of the hull made by the collision. I am hoping to celebrate her sailing to the scrappers soon. Even if its just an glass if Champers on Southsea seafront.

It was a privilege to be XO to Captain Chris Knapp for the Tow and Damage Strengthening. I am surprised he did not receive a Visit to The Palace.

Image of RFA Diligence towing HMS Southampton alongside through Straits of Hormuz at Dawn with Venus an Morning Star

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