RFA Argus first served during the 1982 Falklands War. Photo / Getty
The Royal Navy’s “decrepit” support ships are stuck in port, severely limiting Britain’s ability to fight a war.
Experts say that problems with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) – which refuels, rearms and resupplies British warships – are now so severe that they are “crippling” the senior service.
All three RFA vessels that act as Navy amphibious warfare ships are out of action. In addition the Navy’s only “fleet solid support vessel” has been languishing in dock for more than a year.
Meanwhile RFA Argus, a hospital ship, has been trapped at Portsmouth Naval Base since failing a safety inspection in June that found asbestos on board and ruled that the hull was not seaworthy.
Commander Tom Sharpe, a retired frigate captain, said the woeful state of the RFA was now posing a serious threat to naval operations.
He said: “This is absolutely crippling the Navy. The RFA is the logistics branch of the Royal Navy. If you don’t have logistics you’re simply not a blue-water navy. You can’t support it at range, so what’s the point being a navy?”
A defence source insisted the RFA was “very much still operating globally” but conceded the Navy was “aware of the problems” and was doing “the best we can to fix this”.
Sources told the Telegraph that the 28,000-tonne RFA Argus, first used during the 1982 Falklands war, was now in such a poor state of repair that the vessel’s shaft needed emergency welding to prevent the stern seal from blowing out, flooding the ship.
Admiral Lord West, the former head of the Navy, said: “RFA Argus is in a decrepit state. It’s appalling she has been allowed to get into a state that’s not seaworthy.”
RFA Lyme Bay, which is one of three bay-class amphibious warfare vessels, has become the latest casualty.
After returning from an exercise with the Royal Marines this autumn, Lyme Bay will be stuck in port in Gibraltar until at least April because of budgetary restrictions, sources claimed. When functioning the ship can carry armoured vehicles and up to 500 troops.
Her sister amphibious warfare vessels, RFA Mounts Bay and RFA Cardigan Bay, are also out of action. Manpower shortages have affected Mounts Bay, while Cardigan Bay has been plagued by delays to her refit programme that look likely to continue into next year.
The vessels are meant to step in for the Navy’s amphibious warfare capability, after HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion were axed by John Healey, the Defence Secretary, last year.
But Lord West said the RFA was “not ready” to take on the task, adding: “Our amphibious capability has been reduced to a level that’s a shadow of its former self.”
Fort Victoria – the 35-year-old vessel that is the UK’s only solid support ship, supplying ammunition and food at sea – has also been placed in “extended readiness” and is unlikely to return to sea without costly repairs.
The UK Carrier Strike Group’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific was forced to rely on a Norwegian vessel, HNoMS Maud, and later America’s USNS Wally Schirra, to resupply it because RFA Fort Victoria was out of action.
This has left Britain with a capability gap as it waits for replacement vessels to arrive in the early 2030s.
Sharpe said: “The idea of having carriers without fleet solid support ships is just appalling. We want to be global and have global ambitions and rightly so.
“But if we can’t get the RFA to work, we might as well bin it, bin the carriers and just build frigates and destroyers. Someone has to take bold action on this to fix the RFA.”
Mike Critchley, a maritime defence expert and former naval officer, said the crisis should be addressed “urgently”.
He added: “The Navy has got in a real mess over its RFA support.
“To send an aircraft carrier to the other side of the world without being able to provide the food and ammunition from MoD [Ministry of Defence] or UK sources is appalling.”
Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales, which is leading the UK Carrier Strike Group, is on her way home having taken part in an exercise with the Italian navy this week.
Since leaving in April, she has been supported by Tidespring, the RFA tanker, which has supplied more than 30,000 cubic metres of diesel and 4200 cu m of aviation fuel.
On Wednesday, the Government announced the production of the RFA’s next generation of solid stores ships could begin with three 700ft-long, 39,000-tonne ships to be built in the early 2030s.
A Navy spokesman said: “The Royal Fleet Auxiliary continues to operate globally in accordance with defence requirements and priorities.”
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