Navy frigate sent to Libya with four missiles (UK)

The Daily Telegraph ^ | 21 Nov 2011

[sukhoi-30mki]

Navy frigate sent to Libya with four missiles

A Royal Navy frigate was sent to the Libyan war zone armed with as few as four missiles, it has been disclosed.

Royal Navy officers said HMS Westminster was “dangerously under-defended” when it was called on to patrol close to the Libyan port city of Benghazi in March.

The warship can carry 32 Seawolf and eight Harpoon missiles but it is understood that military cutbacks left the Westminster and its crew of 190 with only a fraction of that capability.

As Seawolf missiles — which are used to intercept incoming missiles — are fired in pairs, sources said the Westminster had just two rounds to defend against missile attacks from Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.

In another recent admission, the Royal Navy said it was unable to spare a warship to guard British waters for the whole of October after last year’s defence cuts.

Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a retired officer, said it was unbelievable that the Westminster had so few missiles on board and said ships in the Falklands and the Gulf wars were equipped to full capacity. He added: “This is yet another example of the incoherence of last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review. What if the Government’s bluff had been called? What would the Ministry of Defence be saying if the Westminster had been hit by something? They took a big risk.

[Former Proud Canadian]

Yeah, I know.

[Travis McGee]

How old is your Brit Sgt? I have a Brit Sgt in my next novel, maybe he can vet it.

He is going to be pretty happy when he finds out there are places where he can shoot 1,000 yards in 360* in Wyoming. Not too much of that in Blighty.

[Vanders9]

Not exactly...its more normal military saying. In military parlance the “teeth” are the bits that actually do the fighting. The “tail” are the various support elements - supply ships, techies, engineers, armorers and so on who keep it all working. Its tempting for politicians to cut back on the latter, because after all, they dont directly do any fighting, but as the saying has it, if you cut the tail, eventually the teeth will fall out. Nice little analogy I thought.

[bvw]

Texas Ranger sent to riot with four bullets and no gun.

[Vanders9]

That presumably is a picture of the Grand Fleet pre-Jutland?

If so, that would be imposing. Twenty-eight (yes..twenty eight) battleships plus nine battlecruisers, eight older armoured cruisers, one hundred and six light cruisers and destroyers.

And that's just the main fleet.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

Thank you for that explanation. It makes complete sense now. I would say that Britian has not only been cutting the tail, but they’ve been pulling out those teeth also!! It’s a shame that a once mighty and great Navy has come to this. And it should be a lesson to what can happen to us in America if we don’t get our debt under control.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"This seems like a century ago."

Look at that picture closely. Notice the smoke coming from the ships. Those are coal fired battleships. There's a good chance that picture was taken a century ago!!

[Oztrich Boy]

Look at that picture closely. .... There's a good chance that picture was taken a century ago!!

Well, yes, That was the point.

But if I am going to look at the picture closely. Ship on extreme right: no prominent secondary battery, forecastle break level with two closely spaced equal sized funnels, immediately behind a pole foremast, no mainmast. King George V class, early in war (at latest 1915-16).

Left column do appear to have maindeck 6" battery, superstructure to funneltop height, small fire control top. Either Iron Duke or Queen Elizabeth class. Again early, but post mid-1914.