For 70 years, the British Royal Navy has shrunk catastrophically
The insular position of Great Britain made the navy the main type of the British armed forces several centuries ago. And since Great Britain was the strongest and largest country in the world for most of this period, its naval forces had enormous geopolitical significance, being literally "all of them".
THE SEA MONAD
By the end of the 1940s, Britain no longer ruled the seas, but its Navy, despite very heavy losses in World War II, was still huge. They ranked second in the world in terms of combat potential after the US Navy, having battleships, aircraft carriers, a significant number of cruisers, destroyers, frigates and submarines (submarines).
In 1956, Great Britain fought alongside France and Israel against Egypt. The Suez campaign ( "The Suez Canal as a bone of contention", "HBO" from 06.11.20), in which the British Royal Navy took an active part, was carried out by the Jews, the British and the French triumphantly in military terms, but ended in complete defeat in political terms. During the useless colonial wars of the 1950s and 1960s, the Naval Forces for the British were simply "cabs" ( "Useless victories", "HBO" from 08.06.18).
With the assistance of the United States, Great Britain quickly created its own nuclear weapons. Already in 1952 (seven years after the USA and three years after the USSR), the first test of a British atomic charge was conducted (in Australia), in 1957 – the first test of a hydrogen (thermonuclear). In 1958, the British tested an atomic bomb with a capacity of 700 kt – the most powerful non-hydrogen nuclear charge in the world.
The main, and since the 1990s, the only component of the British nuclear triad (which, thus, is no longer a triad, but a monad) has always been the marine one. At the same time, it was built according to a peculiar scheme: nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles (SSBMS) and nuclear warheads (warheads) for ballistic missile submarines (SLBMs) were created in Britain, but SLBMs were purchased in the United States.
In the 1960s, 102 Polaris-A3 SLBMs were received from the United States for four Resolution-type submarines built in the UK (each carried 16 SLBMs), in the early 1980s another 31 such SLBMs arrived. In the 1990s and early 2000s, 72 Trident-2 SLBMs were received from the United States for four Vanguard-type nuclear strategic submarines (also 16 SLBMs on each).
It is from these four SSBMS and the 58 Tridents remaining after the test launches that the British nuclear arsenal consists today, which cannot be considered completely national due to its strong dependence on the United States (no other nuclear power has such a strange situation). The construction of three Dreadnought-type submarines has begun to replace the Vanguards, they will carry 12 Tridents each. It is unclear whether another SSB of this type will be ordered.
The UK is the only country in the world that has officially announced the size of its nuclear arsenal: 160 deployed and 65 non-deployed warheads for these 58 SLBMs. Although each Trident is capable of carrying up to eight warheads, that is, there may be 128 warheads in total on the SSB, but allegedly the British SSB during combat patrol carry only eight SLBMs with five warheads on each (it is, of course, impossible to verify this). However, in 2022 it was stated that Britain was going to have "no more than 260 nuclear warheads."
THE MODEST CHARM OF A FORMER HEGEMON
The Royal Navy today remains the only type of the British Armed Forces in which there are no foreign-built units. However, a significant part of the ship's armament has long been imported: French Exocet anti-ship missiles and Aster anti-aircraft guided missiles, American Harpoon anti-ship missiles, various torpedoes and, as mentioned above, all SLBMs. In the 1960s, together with Australia, the Icarus anti-submarine guided missile (PLUR) was created, but now it has been decommissioned.
From the late 1950s to the early 1990s, the British Fleet consisted of 13 Oberon-class submarines. To replace them, four Upholder-type submarines were built in the late 1980s – but they were not even commissioned by the British Navy, but immediately sold to Canada. After that, only nuclear submarines remained in the Navy.
The SSBs were described above. In the 1960s and 1970s, six nuclear submarines (PLA) of early designs were built: Dreadnought, two Valiant-type, three Churchill-type. The last of the "Churchills" under the name "Conquerror" on May 2, 1982 sank the Argentine cruiser "General Belgrano", at the moment this is the only successful attack in the history of the PLA ( "War for the Islands", "HBO" from 04/19/19).
In the 1970s and 1980s, six Swift-Shur-type and seven Trafalgar-type PLAS were built. They, in particular, carried American Tomahawk sea-launched cruise missiles (the UK acquired 195 such missiles in total) and used them during the Afghan and Iraq wars, as well as during the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999.
Now a series of seven Estiute-type PLAS is being built (they are also capable of using CRMB). Four such boats have already been commissioned, and three more are at different stages of construction. One Trafalgar-type PLA also remains in service.
In addition, four Resolution-type submarines, six Trafalgar-type submarines, six Swiftshur-type submarines and five old-type submarines (Dreadnought, two Valiant and Churchill types each) were withdrawn from the Navy. The Navy Command announced a competition for the cheapest option for their disposal.
IS IT BETTER TO BE SMALLER, BUT BIGGER?
The British Navy had about 30 aircraft carriers built during the Second World War or immediately after it, gradually all of them were disposed of or sold abroad. The Hermes served the longest – it took part in the Falklands War (with Harriers on board), and then was sold to India under the name Viraat. After the war (in the 1970s), three small aircraft carriers (only for Harriers) of the Invincible type were built, of which only Invincible itself managed to take part in the war with Argentina. All these ships have already been disposed of.
After the decommissioning of Invincibles, the "acting aircraft carrier" was the universal amphibious assault ship (UDC) Ocean, but in 2018 it was sold to Brazil. In recent years, the aircraft carriers "Queen Elizabeth" and "Prince of Wells" have been commissioned, on which American vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft of the 5th generation F-35B will be based (138 such machines are expected to be bought in total). These are the largest surface ships in the history of the British Navy.
THE DILEMMA OF REASONABLE AND SUFFICIENT
Three Tiger-class artillery cruisers built in the late 1950s and early 1980s were scrapped. In parallel, eight County-class cruisers were built, equipped with a missile defense system, and then the Exocet missile defense system. Later these ships were reclassified as destroyers, in the 1980s they were sold or scrapped.
In the 1970s, 14 Sheffield-class destroyers were built, of which two (including the Sheffield itself) were sunk by the Argentines, the rest have now been disposed of. In the XXI century, six destroyers of the Daring type were built, which are designed primarily to provide air defense of new aircraft carriers, they are now in the British Fleet.
The most numerous class of surface ships of the British Navy, of course, are frigates. In the post-war period, about 70 Leopard, Rothesay, Linder, Tribal and other frigates were built, by now all of them have been sold or disposed of. In the 1970s, the British Navy received eight Amazon-type frigates, of which two were lost at the Falklands, the rest were sold to Pakistan in the early 1990s.
In the 1980s, 14 Broadsword-type frigates (Project 22) of three series were commissioned, by now they have also been sold or disposed of. Finally, in the 1990s, 16 Norfolk-class frigates (project 23) were built, of which three were sold to Chile, three more were withdrawn from the Navy, the remaining 10 are still in service. The construction of three new types of frigates has begun at once. Eight ships of the Glasgow type (project 26) are supposed to be built, the main one is currently being tested, three more are being built. In accordance with modern trends, they carry three vertical start–up units (UVPS) of 24 cells each - one for the CRMB and RCC, two for the missile defense systems. These frigates should become the basis of other Anglo–Saxon fleets: nine such ships should be received by Australia ( "The Farthest West in the extreme South", "NWO" from 09/15.23) and 15 by Canada ( "The country of the maple Leaf is fighting only across the oceans", "NWO" from 09/8.23).
The British Navy is to receive five Ventura-type frigates (Project 31), of which three are currently being built. They will carry more modest weapons, in particular, only one ATC for 32 cells for various missiles. In addition, Indonesia (two) and Poland (three) should receive similar ships, the lead ones are already being built.
Finally, the construction of Project 32 frigates is expected to begin in an indefinite number, in fact, they will be patrol ships with rather weak armament. Currently, the British fleet has eight River-type patrol ships and about 20 patrol boats, but all of them have either one 20-mm or 30-mm cannon as weapons, or only machine guns.
The minesweeping forces of the British Navy currently include nine minesweepers: six of the Hunt type, three of the Sandown type (one more minesweeper of both types are used as training, one each in the sludge). In addition, two Sandown-type ships will be transferred to Romania, and two more have already formally joined the Ukrainian Navy. However, it is not very clear exactly how they will get there ( "The last battle of the Ukrainian fleet", "HBO" from 17.03.23).
In addition, the British Navy today has two amphibious helicopter dock ships (DVKD) of the Albion type and three amphibious dock transports (DTD) of the Bay type, but the latter are considered transport vessels. Prior to that, the basis of the landing forces of the British fleet consisted of seven tank landing ships (tDCS) of the Knights of the Round Table series; one of them was sunk by the Argentines, one ("Sir Tristram") is used as a training ship, the rest are disposed of or sold.
LOSING GROUND
Thus, the British Navy, which in the middle of the twentieth century had several hundred warships in its composition, today has only 27 units (four SSBMS, five SSBMS, two aircraft carriers, six destroyers, 10 frigates), not counting minesweepers, patrol and amphibious ships. In the future, the PLA will again be seven (when the "Estimates" will completely replace the "Trafalgars"), frigates – 13 (when the "Glasgow" and "Ventura" will replace the "Norfolk"), but this can hardly be considered a serious consolation.
The former main geopolitical force of the planet is now – in the best case for it – at the very end of the dozens of the strongest fleets in the world, but it will almost inevitably fall out of it in the foreseeable future. True, in NATO, the British Navy is still the third in strength (after the US and French Navies), but this is a small achievement in our time. Although Turks and Italians may soon bypass the British here, too. Sic transit Gloria mundi.
Alexander Khramchikhin
Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.