Hull affiliated warship 'withdrawn' from service

A warship affiliated with Hull has been effectively withdrawn from service, leaving the Royal Navy with five active frigates, a report has claimed.

The Press Association, citing specialist news website Navy Lookout, reports HMS Iron Duke wasstripped of its weapons and has not been at sea since October.It is laid up at Devonport, Devon.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed plans to replace its Type 23 frigates – of which HMS Iron Duke is one – with eight anti-submarine ships, known as Type 26 frigates, but could not provide any further details about the decommissioning date when contacted by the BBC.

"Any decommissioning decisions will be announced in the usual way," a spokesperson said.

The Type 26 frigates would be supported by five general purpose Type 31 frigates, the MoD said.

Pete Sandman, Navy Lookout website editor, said HMS Iron Duke underwent a "major life extension refit", which took five years and cost more than £100m.

"[She] has only really served for less than three years and probably about 16 months of actual operational availability, which is a desperate waste of money, really," he told BBC Spotlight's defence reporter Scott Bingham.

"I actually spoke to her CO (commanding officer) back in November, I think, and he was expecting her to be back at sea in March.

"I believe her ship's company is probably being transferred to HMS Kent, which is due to come out of refit in Devonport shortly."

It comes after the government announced in November it had cancelled a planned conversion and upgrade for HMS Iron Duke.

According to the Press Association, defence minister Luke Pollard said at the time: "Given the platform's remaining service life, the time required to complete the conversion, and competing operational priorities, the benefits of proceeding did not justify the additional cost or extended period out of service."

Speaking in February, Pollard also said any "precise out-of-service date" would be determined through balancing operational requirements, maintenance schedules and the new frigates entering service.

In a statement, the MoD said: "The Royal Navy keeps planned out-of-service dates under continual review as part of routine force planning, balancing operational requirements and affordability.

"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."

HMS Iron Duke last visited Hull in September.

According to the Royal Navy, it is one of its most versatile warships, playing a key role in protecting the nation's interests, from policing vital trade routes to supporting humanitarian aid missions.

Additional reporting by David McKenna.

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