Latest news with #ChrisParry
Telegraph
16 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Navy's only amphibious warship unsafe to sail
The Royal Navy's only amphibious warship has been declared unsafe to put to sea. RFA Argus is unable to leave the Portsmouth Naval Base because maritime authorities have said the ship is unfit to sail. The inability of Argus, currently designated as the naval service's sole amphibious warfare vessel, to put to sea means the Navy has no ships capable of delivering the Royal Marines en masse into war zones. Chris Parry, a retired admiral who once commanded the UK Amphibious Task Group, said the Argus was 'only ever a sticking plaster' and that the naval service's reliance on the ship was an example of 'strategic incoherence'. Amphibious means a ship that carries either helicopters or landing craft for putting troops ashore. The vessel's safety problems reportedly include a leaky ballast tank, difficulties with fire doors and a worn seal on her main aircraft lift. Its safety certification was withdrawn by Lloyds Register and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency after her arrival in Portsmouth on June 8, the Navy Lookout website reported. A Royal Navy spokesman said there were no current plans for Argus to put to sea until 'all identified defects' have been fixed. It comes after the ship spent five months being overhauled at APCL Falmouth, emerging from that maintenance period at the end of March. She had been due to leave Portsmouth for further repairs in the Cornish port. Problems with the Argus potentially affect Britain's role in Nato, where, under long-standing plans in the event of Russia attacking an alliance member, Royal Marines would be deployed by amphibious ship to Norway. Such a deployment would block Russia from gaining access to new Norwegian bases from where it could attack US reinforcements sailing across the Atlantic as well as launching raids against the UK. 'The predictable obsolescence of RFA Argus demonstrates the strategic incoherence at the heart of the government's defence policy,' said Mr Parry. 'She was only ever a sticking plaster that covered a gaping wound in our amphibious capability caused by the conceptual and political failure to procure the right vessels to complement the Future Commando Force, and to provide appropriate 21st century fighting power for littoral operations.' Used during the Falklands War The Future Commando Force was a creation of the Conservatives' 2021 Integrated Defence Review. It was intended to result in £50 million being spent converting one of the RFA's dedicated Bay-class amphibious warships into a so-called 'littoral strike' vessel, operating together with one of the Navy's dedicated Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ships. That plan disintegrated after Labour decided to sell off the LPDs last November to save money. Both HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark have been decommissioned and are now in the process of being bought by Brazil. Argus was originally built as a freighter-cum-ferry under the name MV Contender Bezant. She was requisitioned for the Falklands War in 1982 and has remained in naval service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ever since, having been extensively modified from her original civilian design. She is currently fitted as a 'primary casualty receiving ship', effectively a hospital ship but carrying weapons to defend herself. International law says that a true hospital ship – such as the American vessel USNS Mercy – must be unarmed, however, so Argus cannot technically be given that designation. 'No current plans for the ship to depart' The RFA is a civilian-manned auxiliary fleet that was originally set up to resupply the Royal Navy fleet at sea. After decades of budget cuts to its parent service, the RFA now operates its vessels on tasks that used to be allocated to RN warships. All of the RFA's three Bay-class ships are currently docked for refits, meaning they cannot immediately be put to sea. A Royal Navy spokesman said: 'We are collaborating closely with Lloyd's surveyors, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and our industry partners to address issues recently identified with RFA Argus. 'There are no current plans for the ship to depart until all identified defects have been rectified.'
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Fury as Royal Navy has NO attack submarines at sea to defend its surface fleet in ‘ridiculous shambles'
THE Royal Navy has no submarines at sea to defend its surface fleet. HMS Anson arrived back at its Scottish base on Friday, leaving no attack subs currently on patrol. It means the One former senior officer called it embarrassing and a shambles, brought on by years of poor planning. The five Astute-class nuclear powered attack subs are meant to play a key role defending the Carrier Strike Group, currently in the Indo-Pacific, off But it is understood the US Navy is providing submarine protection for our aircraft carrier Read more on Royal Navy Two other Astute-class subs have not put to sea for more than two years, and another is being refitted in Plymouth, where a fifth is also in dry dock. A sixth sub, which is under construction, is unlikely to be operational for at least 18 months. Britain's four Vanguard-class subs, armed with long-range nukes, are not designed to attack other submarines or surface ships. One is permanently at sea to provide a nuke deterrent. Most read in The Sun Falklands veteran Rear Admiral Chris Parry said: 'The whole nuclear enterprise is a shambles. 'It's ridiculous we can't send an attack sub on deployment. Incredible moment a Royal Navy warship destroys a supersonic missile off Scots coast 'These submarines are the one thing the Russians and Chinese really fear.' The Navy said its subs 'continue to deploy globally on operations, protecting national interests and keeping us safe'. 1 HMS Anson has arrived back at its Scottish base
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Fury as Royal Navy has NO attack submarines at sea to defend its surface fleet in ‘ridiculous shambles'
One former senior officer called it embarrassing SUB STANDARD Fury as Royal Navy has NO attack submarines at sea to defend its surface fleet in 'ridiculous shambles' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Royal Navy has no submarines at sea to defend its surface fleet. HMS Anson arrived back at its Scottish base on Friday, leaving no attack subs currently on patrol. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up It means the UK's warships have no homegrown underwater protection against potential threats. One former senior officer called it embarrassing and a shambles, brought on by years of poor planning. The five Astute-class nuclear powered attack subs are meant to play a key role defending the Carrier Strike Group, currently in the Indo-Pacific, off Australia. But it is understood the US Navy is providing submarine protection for our aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. Two other Astute-class subs have not put to sea for more than two years, and another is being refitted in Plymouth, where a fifth is also in dry dock. A sixth sub, which is under construction, is unlikely to be operational for at least 18 months. Britain's four Vanguard-class subs, armed with long-range nukes, are not designed to attack other submarines or surface ships. One is permanently at sea to provide a nuke deterrent. Falklands veteran Rear Admiral Chris Parry said: 'The whole nuclear enterprise is a shambles. 'It's ridiculous we can't send an attack sub on deployment. Incredible moment a Royal Navy warship destroys a supersonic missile off Scots coast 'These submarines are the one thing the Russians and Chinese really fear.' The Navy said its subs 'continue to deploy globally on operations, protecting national interests and keeping us safe'.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Fury as Royal Navy has NO attack submarines at sea to defend its surface fleet in ‘ridiculous shambles'
THE Royal Navy has no submarines at sea to defend its surface fleet. HMS Anson arrived back at its Scottish base on Friday, leaving no attack subs currently on patrol. It means the UK's warships have no homegrown underwater protection against potential threats. One former senior officer called it embarrassing and a shambles, brought on by years of poor planning. The five Astute-class nuclear powered attack subs are meant to play a key role defending the Carrier Strike Group, currently in the Indo-Pacific, off Australia. But it is understood the US Navy is providing submarine protection for our aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. Two other Astute-class subs have not put to sea for more than two years, and another is being refitted in Plymouth, where a fifth is also in dry dock. A sixth sub, which is under construction, is unlikely to be operational for at least 18 months. Britain's four Vanguard-class subs, armed with long-range nukes, are not designed to attack other submarines or surface ships. One is permanently at sea to provide a nuke deterrent. Falklands veteran Rear Admiral Chris Parry said: 'The whole nuclear enterprise is a shambles. 'It's ridiculous we can't send an attack sub on deployment. Incredible moment a Royal Navy warship destroys a supersonic missile off Scots coast 'These submarines are the one thing the Russians and Chinese really fear.' The Navy said its subs 'continue to deploy globally on operations, protecting national interests and keeping us safe'. 1
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hell Jumper: Ukraine war documentary about Chris Parry wins award
A BBC film about a Truro man killed in Ukraine after helping rescue hundreds of people from the front line has won an award at a world media documentary Hell Jumper, depicting aid worker Chris Parry, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Rockie 28-year-old went to the country shortly after it was invaded by Russia and died from gunshot wounds alongside fellow volunteer Andrew Bagshaw in January organisation said the director Paddy Wivell brought a "tenderness and empathy to his interviewing" within the documentary. 'Breathless sequence' It said: "These interviews are the architecture of the whole film, giving it its tone and emotional heart. "Stylistically the master interviews were laced with social media posts, personal voice messages, and self-shot go-pro footage to create a first-person quality throughout."Most of Chris Parry's work was captured on 10 hours of bodycam footage, making up a large part of the added: "The team wanted the audience to be fully immersed in Chris' experiences, so chose to run much of their footage at length. "It's an extraordinary, breathless sequence that perfectly captures Chris' character."
