Royal Navy issued dire warning as Vladimir Putin sent dangerous message

The Royal Navy is at its lowest point in decades “by miles”, a former commander has warned. Tom Sharpe said the Navy will increasingly have to rely on support vessels to escort Russian warships through UK waters after it emerged another frigate has effectively been withdrawn from active service.

HMS Iron Duke is unlikely to sail again, having been stripped of her weapons and sensors, it is believed. This is set to leave the Navy with just five Type 23 frigates, with HMS Richmond’s decommissioning already confirmed for this year. Mr Sharpe said the state of the Navy is “pretty woeful” and warned it will have to lean even further on the similarly stretched Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to shadow Russian vessels around Britain.

The former frigate captain said this will send the wrong message to Vladimir Putin as UK waters come under increasing threat from Russia.

“It’s not about getting into a fight with these ships, it never is, but it's about showing that if you were to, you could go toe-to-toe,” he told the Express.

“Even our frigates, a lot of them don’t have a credible surface-to-surface missile capability, but they can do 30 knots at least.

“If I were in a Russian warship and they sent a patrol boat or an RFA to escort me, I’d increase to 30 knots and disappear over the horizon, knowing there’s nothing they can do.

“RFAs are great ships, great crews, but it’s the wrong message, and we’re going to see more of it.”

Despite supporting Navy operations across the globe, RFA vessels are not warships.

The First Sea Lord has said Russian incursions into British waters have risen by nearly a third in the last two years.

Monitoring potential Russian activity around the UK has been one of the Type 23s' main duties.

But as the ageing fleet has been gradually reduced, offshore patrol vessels and the RFA have been taking on more of the responsibilities.

This week, the Navy revealed it spent every day last month monitoring a Russian warship as it sailed through UK waters.

The Admiral Grigorovich escorted a number of Russian-flagged vessels, including at least three reportedly under economic sanction, through the English Channel.

It was watched by outgunned patrol ships HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, as well as tanker RFA Tideforce and Wildcat helicopters.

Mr Sharpe warned that the Navy’s lack of mass has become a real problem, exposed by the developments in the past few months, including the protracted deployment of HMS Dragon to Cyprus.

He said there was “no hiding” that the Senior Service is experiencing its worst period since he joined and likely even before.

Mr Sharpe, who served for 27 years, said: “We always used to say, ‘who’s better between us and the French?’ And we would go, ‘well, we've got better capabilities', but now you can’t have that conversation because it’s not true.

“They got 10 ships out of the door on day one of this conflict [Iran], and we couldn’t get one.

“Now they’ve got a nuclear-powered strike carrier in the Red Sea with a fully indigenous strike capability and frigates, destroyers and submarines. We’ve got none of that.”

The withdrawal of HMS Iron Duke and Richmond will leave the Navy with just 11 frigates and destroyers.

France has 16, while fellow NATO ally Italy has 17.

Britain’s current frigates are to be replaced by 13 Type 26 and Type 32 frigates in the coming years.

However, it is still not clear when they will be ready for frontline duties.

It comes as Labour faces calls to accelerate defence spending to 3% of GDP this parliament.

The Government aims to hit the target next parliament, with 2.5% by 2027, but many experts have warned this is insufficient amid rising tensions and concerns over the state of defence.

Labour is also under mounting pressure to publish the 10-year Defence Investment Plan, first promised last autumn.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence told The Express: “As Russian warships persist in operating close to the UK, the Royal Navy ensures our waters remain protected and monitored 24/7.

"The government is providing a generational increase in defence spending, with an extra £270bn across this Parliament, ensuring no return to the hollowed out armed forces of the past.

“Through the Strategic Defence Review, we are transitioning to 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.”