PM ‘unaware’ that Britain currently has NO working hunter-killer attack submarines (let’s hope nobody’s told Mr Putin either)
February 11, 2017 in News by RBN Staff
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
By JOSEPH CURTIS FOR MAILONLINE
The Royal Navy’s fleet of attack submarines are all currently out of action – and Ministry of Defence chiefs are said to have kept it a secret from the Prime Minister.
Britain’s seven ‘hunter-killer’ vessels are understood to be ‘non-operational’, with five understood to be undergoing maintenance.
It is believed the HMS Astute, commissioned in 2010, is the only one currently at sea although she is still ‘weeks away’ from active service following a tune-up.
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Britain is understood to have no working attack submarines in service at the moment. The HMS Astute, pictured, is at sea but still undergoing tests after maintenance
The HMS Trenchant, pictured, is one of the Navy’s Trafalgar-class vessels which are said to be ‘on their last legs’
The HMS Ambush, pictured, is still being repaired after crashing into a tanker off Gibraltar in 2016
According to The Sun, it is the first time in decades Britain does not have an attack submarine on stand-by to respond to threats.
Sources said the Navy’s three Astute-class vessels – built by BAE Systems – are ‘beset by problems’ despite costing around £1.2billion each.
The others currently in service are the HMS Ambush – which is being repaired after crashing into a tanker off Gibraltar in 2016, and HMS Artful.
A Whitehall source told the paper: ‘No one is being honest about the scandal.’
All seven submarines are nuclear powered and are used to patrol trade routes ‘under threat from Iran’ and keep tabs on Russian action in the Atlantic.
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