MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (097/2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service on 6
May 2009
Each of the
UK's three naval bases will continue to play a vital role in
supporting the Royal Navy, Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth
said today as he announced the results of a review to seek ways to
optimise the services they provide.
The review was undertaken to ensure that the Royal Navy has the
best infrastructure in place to support its ships, submarines and
new aircraft carriers. The principal decisions of the review are:
* Faslane Naval Base will become the dedicated home for the Royal
Navy's fleet of nuclear-powered submarines - including the
Future Deterrent - with the last attack submarine leaving
Devonport in around 2017 on current plans;
* The first and most complex war fighting variant of the Royal
Navy's planned next generation of frigates, named the Future
Surface Combatant, will be based in Portsmouth from entry into
service to maximise the benefits of basing them alongside the Type
45 destroyers and Aircraft Carriers;
* Devonport is the dedicated home of the amphibious fleet and
survey vessels and subject to final approval a force of Royal
Marines' landing craft and the associated RM personnel will
transfer there. It will retain its world class sea training
capability, Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST);
* Subject to commercial negotiations the majority of surface ship
major refits will go to Devonport once work on the Queen Elizabeth
class aircraft carriers starts to increase. Some major refit work
will occasionally be done at Portsmouth to retain skills;
Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said:
"Each of our naval bases has a strong future under the plans
we have laid out today. We have undertaken an extensive review to
ensure that we match the infrastructure in place at the Naval
Bases to the needs of the Royal Navy of the future. The review has
identified changes that will align the way in which we provide
that support, reducing overheads and excess infrastructure by
developing the specialisations at each of the bases - and
we're confident these changes will lead to savings of several
hundreds of millions of pounds.
"We hope that today's announcement provides clarity and
removes uncertainty for our people, our industrial partners and
the wider community. We are committed to giving our service
personnel adequate notice of any relocation, therefore no base
porting changes will take place for five years."
Vice Admiral Andy Mathews, Chief of Materiel Fleet at MOD Defence
Equipment and Support said:
"We need to optimise the support provided in all three naval
bases to meet the Royal Navy's current and future operational
needs. We are working closely with our industrial partners to
develop plans that will ensure stability for naval personnel,
civil servants, our industrial partners and for the broader
communities, while delivering the best value for money for defence."
The entire Royal Navy fleet of more than 80 warships and
submarines are based at three UK naval bases: the Clyde in
Scotland, Portsmouth in Hampshire and Devonport in Plymouth.
Notes to Editors:
1. These decisions have been taken as part
of a review; the evolution of the Naval Base Review which
concluded in 2007 that all three Naval Bases should be retained
yet optimised.
2. The youngest three Trafalgar class submarines, HMS Trenchant,
HMS Talent and HMS Triumph, will relocate to Faslane
incrementally, while the remaining four submarines of the class
will continue to be base ported in Devonport until the end of
their service lives.
3. The entire Royal Navy fleet of more than 80 warships and
submarines are based at three UK naval bases: the Clyde in
Scotland, Portsmouth in Hampshire and Devonport in Plymouth.
4. MOD will look carefully at further less complex variants of
the FSC and consider the optimal base porting for these vessels
taking into account similarities with existing classes. This work
will inform the decision about whether there is any case to change
the base porting of the Type 23 frigates.
5. No decisions on the location of submarine dismantling work
will be taken until a Strategic Environmental Assessment and
public consultation have been completed later this year.
6. For more information please contact Hannah Fletcher in the MoD
press office on 020 7218 7924 / Hannah.Fletcher359@mod.uk