dailystar.co.uk
30.07.2022 / 21:29
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State of the art Royal Navy warship spends four years stuck in port over tech issues
READ MORE: Two navy officers sacked for swapping nuclear sub emails and putting UK security at risk The ships have been dogged by a string of hitches, which include refits overrunning, delays sourcing vital spare parts, engines conking out and even a lack of trained sailors to man them.It means instead of spearheading the nation’s naval power around the globe, the 8,000-ton vessels have been stranded in port. In 2021 three of them spent the entire year tied up in dock because of technical problems or a lack of crew.Many of the problems have been blamed on the ships’ high-tech power systems, which can overheat.Pete Sandeman, director of the Navy Lookout publication, said: “A decision was made by government in 2000 to take a risk with an innovative gas turbine design that did not pay off.“As a consequence, the Type 45 destroyers have been plagued by significant propulsion problems since they entered service.” Between the start of 2018 and the end of 2021 the six ships in the fleet were at sea for 2,841 days out of a possible 8,766 days.
