ANALYSIS – JAMES KNUCKEY: The Royal Navy’s strength has been drastically weakened by years of cuts; the events of the past week are the prime example of how the Senior Service has fallen.
HMS Prince of Wales may need to be escorted by a French warship if she deploys, reports suggest. (Image: Getty)
The famous “Britannia, rule the waves” lyric from the 18th century ‘Rule, Britannia!’ is today no more than an oxymoron. The Royal Navy’s power has declined to an alarming level following years of repeated cuts by successive governments.
The events of the past week have only underlined this further, but the truth is, the writing has been on the wall for some time. The Navy, as one former chief recently told me, is likely at its weakest in 60 years. On Monday, our last remaining ship in the Gulf docked in Portsmouth naval base after arriving in UK waters from Bahrain on a heavy lift vessel.
HMS Dragon is still in Portsmouth (Image: Getty)
Sailors on board HMS Middleton would’ve likely given a wave to the crew of HMS Dragon, which still has not left Portsmouth for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Type 45 destroyer — which will help protect our UK personnel stationed in Cyprus after an RAF base was struck by a drone — likely won’t arrive in the region until next week, long after the allied vessels rushing to Cyprus’ aid.
The debacle has sparked fury and raised serious questions about the UK’s readiness.
Now, HMS Prince of Wales is being prepped for a possible deployment this week to likely either the Eastern Med or the Middle East, where war continues to rage.
It’s claimed the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier would need to be escorted by a French warship with most of our major ships unavailable or undergoing maintenance.
A carrier escort group usually comprises two to three destroyers or frigates, an attack submarine and support ships.
Yet while the news of relying on France might irk some, the truth is this is nothing new.
For example, ships from nations including Canada and Spain were involved in the UK’s 2025 Carrier Strike Group deployment, while in 2021, both American and Dutch vessels were assigned.
This only underscores the long-running view that we simply do not have enough warships.
The good news is new ships are in the pipeline… the bad news is we will have to continue to rely on our allies — like many do — until they are online.
Deploying HMS Prince of Wales would likely raise more question marks over UK decision-making — is it to appease Donald Trump, who has continued to criticise Sir Keir Starmer’s response, or is it an admission that the UK military presence in the region is inadequate?
The UK has already sent additional fighter jets to both Qatar and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Akrotiri, where a Shahed-type drone struck a hangar, is effectively a giant land-based aircraft carrier in its own right and enables the UK to launch operations across the Middle East.
The jets and pilots stationed there are already doing a stellar job of shooting down Iranian drones.
HMS Prince of Wales itself would not offer the same air defence capabilities as Dragon, but her F-35B jets could help support the work being carried out.
American pilots are also well-versed in operating from the £3.5 billion carrier, but allowing this would only drag the UK further into the conflict — something Downing Street seemingly has absolutely no interest in and would be a significant step away from the current stance.
Regardless of what is decided, this last week has underlined what many have been predicting for years.
The Navy, like the rest of our Armed Forces, has been greatly weakened, and I understand our NATO allies, including the French, are increasingly concerned.
As threats around our waters rise, it will become harder and harder for Sir Keir to ignore calls to spend big on defence and to have a Navy that reflects the grave global security situation.
