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Royal Navy and UK Carrier Strike Group flagship HMS Prince of Wales (centre) with Spanish destroyer ESPS Mendez Nunez (nearest) and Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney (Aussie variant of same design) sail together while heading for Australia. Photo: LPhot Bill Spurr/Royal Navy.

Royal Netherlands Navy Koninklijke Marine Karel Doorman Class frigate HNLMS Van Amstel outbound from HMNB Devonport Plymouth, England, early yesterday afternoon. Video courtesy of Stephen Jagger

Onze schepen hebben nu geen actieve verdediging tegen de meest geavanceerde torpedo's. Dat veranderen we. Samen met Duitsland 🇩🇪 ontwikkelen we binnen #PESCO-verband een anti-torpedo-torpedo om dit cruciale verdedigingsgat te dichten en onze mensen te beschermen. Lees meer ⤵️

Fast attack craft are going to make a huge comeback in naval warfare, only as drones. The Ukrainians are already proving they work.

Today’s moment of Warships IFR 'Zen': the Royal Navy Duke Class (Type 23) frigate HMS Portland outbound from HMNB Devonport Plymouth, England. Sister vessel HMS Somerset is likely the Type 23 you'll see over by the Breakwater in this clip. Video courtesy of Stephen Jagger

The French Navy signals intelligence-gathering vessel Dupuy de Lôme alongside the preserved WW2 vintage British light cruiser HMS Belfast (just visible behind) in the Pool of London on the River Thames. Photo: Chris Carr.

Back at sea

Fascinating h/t MtarfaLee

SEVEN 6,600t Frigates to be commissioned into Indian Navy between Jan 25 and end 26 🤷🏻‍♂️

There's an admirably punchy deconstruction of the SDR by Dr. James W.E. Smith in Warships IFR this month worth the cover price alone, which is barely much more than half a pint in central London.

Nice pictures, though it's grim to think that Ukraine currently has more operational MCMV's than the RN does...

Sadly confirming what I'd long suspected, namely that no SSN went east with the CSG... So CSG25 has no SSN or FSS, which sadly demonstrates the current inability of the RN to deploy a full strength CSG and does raise the question of when in the future it actually will be able to?

Japan is making a major bid to persuade Australia to opt for the Mogami design as its future frigate including an early 2025 visit by two ships of the type (JS Noshiro, see video) and JS Yahagi. Competition is being offered by the German-origin MEKO A-200 (again, see video).

The real beginning of gutting the RN, as descent down the slippery slope began in earnest. All the more remarkable coming in the aftermath of the spectacular Traf 200 Fleet Review. A slide accelerated by the 2010 SDR wrecking ball. Tory-Lib Dem cuts following Labour's series.

Read it & weep: from the 2006 edition of our Warships IFR 'Guide to the Royal Navy' (then 3rd ed since '02). Came out 30.9.05 - Fleet List + also commemoration of units being axed 2003-2006. Some went due to time being up others not so much. The next 'RN Guide' is in production.