The Royal Navy Has a Numbers Problem

We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

Key Points: The Royal Navy is at its smallest fleet size in modern history, with two-thirds of its ships undergoing repairs. Only two of six Type-45 destroyers are operational, and eight Type-23 frigates are similarly limited. This decline mirrors issues in the Russian Navy but on a smaller scale.

-Critics argue that the fleet’s top-heavy focus on two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, both plagued by reliability issues, has come at the expense of balanced naval power.

-As destroyer and frigate numbers dwindle, MPs and defense experts question the Navy’s ability to defend the UK or contribute meaningfully to NATO’s European defense strategy.

Britain Does Not Rule the Waves: Royal Navy Fleet at Record Low Levels          

The Russian Navy is in a sorry state – at least when it comes to its capital ships, which show no sign of ever returning to service. The Kirov-class nuclear-powered battlecruiser Pyotr Veliky has been out of service longer than it ever was at sea, while the flagship aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov has been undergoing a problem-plagued refit for years.

By contrast, the Kremlin has put greater focus on its small surface combatants. For a nation that is essentially a land-power that may not be such a bad course of action.

The UK’s Royal Navy might be in even worse shape than the Russian Navy – even as it has two state-of-the-art conventionally powered carriers but lacks the fleet to support it. The UK’s senior service is thus quite “top-heavy” and we know that doesn’t work out so well with warships.

While it is unlikely the Queen Elizabeth-class flattops will capsize like the Swedish Navy’s Vasa in the 17th century, the Royal Navy may have arguably put too much emphasis on its large carriers at the expense of a more rounded fleet.

Image Credit: Royal Navy.

 Rule Britannia – You Must be Joking!

The Royal Navy fleet size has hit a record low, The Telegraph newspaper reported this month, noting that four of its six Type-45 destroyers are out of action, currently undergoing a refit. The story is similar to what the Russian Navy has endured, albeit on a condensed timeline.

HMS Daring, one of the six Type-45 destroyers “has spent more time in the refit yard than at sea since it was commissioned 12 years ago,” the British paper of record reported. “And of the eight Type-23 frigates – smaller ships a class below the destroyers – only six are currently operational.”

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has warned that two-thirds of its fleet is “currently languishing in the repair yard.”

Smallest Fleet Size Since… Ever?

The sun has indeed set on the British Empire, and therefore a massive fleet may not be required. However, the smaller size is notable, especially as the Royal Navy has two carriers – yet, just 14 destroyers and frigates, The Telegraph also noted ” Destroyers have been the pride of the fleet for more than a century” and the levels are the lowest “since the destroyer programme began during the reign of Queen Victoria.”

By contrast, at the end of World War II in 1945, the Royal Navy had more than 800 destroyers and frigates.

“These reports of only two operational destroyers are extremely concerning. Destroyers provide air defence and with only two destroyers, we simply cannot defend London, let alone the United Kingdom,” Mike Martin, MP for Tunbridge Wells and a member of the defense select committee, told The Telegraph. “This is something that the defence select committee will be looking into in its first inquiry, which is about the UK’s contribution to European defence. Clearly, if we can’t defend our own homeland, we are not able to contribute to Nato’s defence of Europe.”

Faulty Aircraft Carriers

The Royal Navy’s carriers were also meant as a symbol of pride for the Royal Navy – but the massively expensive warships have been massively unreliable. HMS Queen Elizabeth was sidelined earlier this year, while HMS Prince of Wales infamously broke down shortly after leaving Portsmouth for a planned deployment to the United States.

HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth pictured at sea for the first time…Wednesday 19 May 2021 saw a historic moment in Britain’s carrier renaissance as HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales met at sea for the first time. With two 65,000 tonne carriers in operational service, Britain has a continuous carrier strike capability, with one vessel always ready to respond to global events at short notice. Image: Creative Commons.

The problem was related to the propeller shafts in both ships, and the problem has been fixed, but no doubt concerns remain over their reliability.

MoD Downplayed the Woes

Despite the troubles with the carriers, and the smaller number of operational warships, the MoD maintains that the situation isn’t quite the darkest hour.

“The UK stands fully prepared to defend itself against any threat alongside our Nato allies,” an MoD spokesperson also told the paper. “The Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force are equipped with a range of advanced capabilities to provide a layered approach to air and missile defence – for example, Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers have successfully shot down a Houthi rebel ballistic missile and attack drones as part of efforts to protect shipping in the Red Sea.”

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Senior Editor focusing on defense issues for 19FortyFive. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,500 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on X: @PeterSuciu – and on Bluesky: @petersuciu.bsky.social.