The Royal Navy’s fleet of frigates was reduced to just five today after the withdrawal of HMS Iron Duke – while the Army has ‘no money to buy weapons’.
The warship is to be retired due to technical issues just three years after a £103million refit.
HMS Iron Duke has suffered technical issues since 2017. Since then more than 1.7 million man-hours have been spent in a bid to salvage her.
The shocking catalogue of issues with the frigate drained the Royal Navy’s budget at a time of unprecedented concern about the UK’s defence capabilities.
Today the Royal Navy confirmed her withdrawal as part of a plan to replace ageing Type 23 frigates with more advanced Type 26 frigates.
The Royal Navy is also introducing Type 31 frigates, promising a total of 13 new warships in the coming years.
While last week the First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, announced plans for a ‘Hybrid Navy’ with drone ships operating alongside crewed warships and submarines in the years ahead.
In recent weeks engineers have been stripping parts from HMS Iron Duke to use on other warships. She was more than 30 years old.
Prior to her retirement HMS Iron Duke carved out a niche escorting Russian ships through the English Channel
Retired general Sir Richard Barrons is the third advisor to Defence Secretary John Healey to speak out about the government’s failures to meet demand for additional investment
When deployable HMS Iron Duke was among the Navy’s most versatile warships, protecting shipping routes and supporting humanitarian operations.
Confirmation she will never sail again came after US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth chastised Britain for the state of the Royal Navy.
While, as the Daily Mail revealed last month, the only ship to deploy to the Gulf in response to the war with Iran, HMS Dragon, was recently forced into port so the ship could undergo urgent repairs.
HMS Iron Duke’s departure emerged hours after another key advisor on defence, former general Sir Richard Barrons, launched a scathing attack on the government.
General Barrons said the Ministry of Defence was going ‘backwards’ on military investment.
Only last year the former Army commander was a close aide to the Defence Secretary John Healey and was a co-author of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR).
Another advisor, former Nato Secretary General George Robertson, broke ranks last month calling for urgent recapitalisation of Britain’s armed forces.
General Barrons said the Army has no money left to buy new weapons before 2030 and only ‘just about’ enough money for conventional platforms like helicopters.
Barrons also decried the government’s failure to public the blueprint for spending, the Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
He said: ‘The armed forces know what they have to do but they just don’t have the money to do it.
‘Our ability to defend our homeland, to make a contribution to Nato, is too thin. What actually has happened is that [spending] went backwards with the failure to settle the DIP, which should have been out in September [2025] and is still on the Prime Minister’s desk.’
Barrons and Robertson were joined by foreign affairs advisor Fiona Hill in assisting Healey to draft the SDR.
She has also been critical of the UK Government’s failure to prioritise defence. Last month, Hill said there was a ‘bizarre’ lack of urgency in putting the UK on a war footing.
Today, Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartilidge said: ‘When the three advisors to the Defence Secretary on the SDR are all critical of the Government’s record, you know they have a problem.
‘As an imperative the Government needs to reallocate funds set aside for the Chagos Islands lease deal to invest in the UK military.
‘The 13 new frigates ordered by the Government are still years away. We risk creating a capability gap in the Royal Navy. The Chagos Treaty money would around the clock shifts to speed up the development of those ships.’
Today, the Ministry of Defence said: ‘The Royal Navy keeps planned out-of-service dates under continual review as part of routine force planning, balancing operational requirements and affordability. Any decommissioning decisions will be announced in the usual way.
‘Through the Strategic Defence Review, we are building a new hybrid navy – investing in world-class submarines and cutting-edge warships, transforming our aircraft carriers, and introducing autonomous vessels to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond.’
