Engage The Enemy More Closely

@HMWarships I love this class. Maybe because they are brutally practical warships, able to take the fight to the enemy in the relative context of their deployment purpose. Or maybe its just those two forward mounts just look like they mean business

On this day in naval history, 1943: Black Swan-class sloop HMS Pheasant (U49) was commissioned. HMS Pheasant was a Royal Navy escort sloop built by Yarrow Shipbuilders in Glasgow during the Second World War. Commissioned in 1943, she belonged to the modified Black Swan class, designed for convoy protection with strong anti-aircraft and anti-submarine capabilities. Although slower than destroyers, these ships had greater range and were fast enough to pursue surfaced German U-boats. In the final stages of the war, Pheasant served in the Pacific alongside the escort carriers HMS Striker and HMS Ruler between April and August 1945. After the war, she was retired and sold for scrap in 1963.

@IntercityFC Maybe I’m biased, but is there anything more glorious than British tannoy or radio commentary of ongoing action

Worth a listen if you want to here what it’s like to be in a ship under air attack

@MtarfaL @navalhistorian @on_pubwatch Exactly. Good enough (properly deployed) always has!

@EClosely @navalhistorian @on_pubwatch Good enough did the job though

Regular reminder: HMS Argyll, the oldest (post Chile sale) Type 23 frigate was commissioned on 31st may 1991. With an 18 year design life she should have been decommissioned in 2009, meaning the *latest* Type 26-Type 31 should have been ordered to replace her would have been 2005

@navalhistorian @on_pubwatch @MtarfaL Never sure how much of the Falklands fleet fell into ‘good enough’ rather than ‘best in class’

@on_pubwatch @MtarfaL Oh, & elements of the Navy didn't do the service too many favours, either, thanks to a dose of "transformation-itis", where sensible, iteratively improved designs got dismissed as "dull" & "insufficiently transformative", etc., &... well, play stupid games, as they say...

@SeaSpitfires They may have meant very small wooden ships…

“Wooden ships were nearly invisible to German radar” is a new one. It’s clever too, if you’re stupid.

@thinkdefence The thinking that if we had no carriers we’d have something ‘better’ or ‘more efficient’ or however else different is what I’d point to as an error. Whichever form of fleet set-up would be underfunded and not living up to expectations, thanks to every successive govt for too long

From October 2024, what is the answer today?

@TomSharpe134 @MtarfaL Yes I liked that point too!

@EClosely @MtarfaL Agree huge risk. Someone else made an interesting comment along the lines of - autonomy doesn’t increase mass in the way you’d hope if everyone is doing it at the same time. Fair…

The Decline of the Royal Navy – 1998 to May 2026 Views my own, corrections and comments welcome Draft in haste - I’m at New Statesman event, listening to the great and the good talk “defence” For those attending - I was the guy in the corner typing away 🕵️‍♂️ 1/25 The Royal Navy enters 2026 as a shadow of its former self. Once a global force with dozens of escorts, it now struggles with historic lows in hull numbers and availability. The discreet withdrawal of HMS Iron Duke – a Type 23 frigate that received over £100m in refit spending – leaves just five available frigates. This is not an isolated incident but the result of decades of mismanagement. This thread tries to give some context.

@MtarfaL I mentioned on @TomSharpe134’s latest video that the problem is whilst the armed forces are saying it as ‘force multiplier’ (arguably, its just the latest technology one may argue with no choice at all 🤷🏼‍♂️) all the politicans are hearing is ‘do it for cheaper’…

@EClosely This is the challenge and why they hedge on “hybrid”, just look at the submarine force 🤷🏻‍♂️

@MtarfaL I don’t think the RN is coming back from this. I doubt they’ll have the crewing numbers, let alone the ships. The only way it resurrects is a serious and prolonged conflict, but I doubt that would achieve it either. Sad times

Conclusion 25/25 The Royal Navy’s trajectory since the late 1990s is one of sustained decline. From frigate shortages to lost amphibious capability, from record submarine patrols to logistics crises, the evidence is unambiguous. While the service attempts to highlight what it can still do, it is no longer effective at the scale and sustained level required. Someone must take responsibility. This author will not hold his breath. Corbett, Fisher et al would have been shocked how an island nation built on international trade and protection of sea lanes and the high sea has fallen.

@LandOfHistory Who says history doesn’t change!

Today in 1799 Tipu Sultan died in Srirangapatna. Due to his reputation as an enemy of the British his death became part of the founding legend of the British empire in India. Later his life became a major part of the story of resistance. Today he is criticised as a Muslim tyrant

@pinstripedline Whilst I would fundamentally disagree with it, one would *almost* have more respect for a political party which said we were abandoning any pretence at being a major world player with armed forces to match. Instead all of them want the kudos of the reflected glory without paying

For the first time in many many decades, the Royal Navy has more destroyers (6) than frigates (5) in service. 13 frigates are on order, but unlikely to enter service for several more years.

@FennellJW @TomSharpe134 @QuietSupporter @TightToffee The concern, surely, is that for all the good thinking and debate this thread shows, the necessary taking it seriously by the (or indeed any?) government is likely to be lacking.

@TomSharpe134 @QuietSupporter @TightToffee Interestingly between 1939-45 we cut back on building cruisers and battleships to build aircraft carriers, frigates and corvettes. I suspect drone carriers/arsenal ships and LUSVs will be the future on the surface.

Type 32 was not funded by the previous government, so it was never a serious programme. Whatever you think about the current process, such smoke and mirrors is being removed in a new line by line budget for the DIP. My guess is the emphasis will be on a new class of LUSVs.

@SarahLouMiller @AC_NavalHistory Apparently the average visit time is 1.5hours… 4 hours later we reluctantly left

Love the smell of a Town-class light cruiser in the morning

@jpwarchaeology Bought my house 8 years ago which had some in the garden already, similar journey though and so rewarding!

Planted wisteria outside the front of our house five years ago. Only ever managed to produce a handful of blooms before that didn't last more than a few days. This year they have EXPLODED with flowers. Really enjoyed them today whilst clearing up our garden 🪻

@kejamieson_ Strawberry is funnery… not quite the same ring to it 😂

Hello yes I'm 36 and have reached the age where I'm excited that my strawberries are growing 😂🍓

@MtarfaL How to skewer a government in 25 posts - tragic state of affairs we are in

Conclusion 25/25 The UK may be “chancing its arm”: hoping that current conflicts stabilise, NATO burden-sharing improves, and the next crisis can be managed with the fleet it has rather than the one it needs. That would free resources for domestic vote-winning programmes. History warns against such complacency. Without a published Defence Investment Plan, credible readiness metrics and a willingness to prioritise defence over other spending, Britain risks becoming a rhetorical power rather than a strategic one. The coming months will show whether ministers heed Robertson’s warning – or continue to hope the world stays quiet enough for further cuts.

The United Kingdom’s Defence Dilemma: Rhetoric versus Reality Views my own, comments and corrections welcome. 1/25 The UK wants to punch above its weight on the world stage – carrier strike groups, AUKUS, NATO leadership – yet its armed forces are hollowed out by uncertain funding, no published Defence Investment Plan, persistent Treasury resistance, and ministers who prioritise welfare, Net Zero and European integration. Today (14th April 2026) the picture is stark. This thread attempts to describe it, service by service, using the latest fleet data (@TBrit90 @ArmchairAdml ) and various public statements.

@SeaSpitfires *with Sword in the title, fixed it for you. The book was more to do with an ego, not the actual men who fought for Sword Beach

I have seen other books about Sword Beach second hand though 😉

Some pleasing 2nd hand bookshop finds – especially @militaryhistori’s book in hardback as my paperback always feels too small for a book that big. And I’m a sucker for hardbacks even if space is at a premium… Still not seen my book 2nd hand. Will buy it and celebrate when I do!

@NavyLookout This sounds suspiciously like a successful UK defence engineering story. Ssshhhhh, don’t tell the government…

Latest technical briefing article: In focus: MSI-DS sovereign UK medium calibre gun mount development navylookout.com/in-focus-msi-d…

@SeaSpitfires I’m glad I wasnt the only one who watched the trailer with a literal eye roll and sigh!

And in a personal gripe, why are infantry seen embarking on destroyers? And why are they all US infantry? This is supposed to be a British film, but it appears it’ll be released around the D-Day anniversary in the US, but over 3 MONTHS later in the UK. x.com/StudiocanalUK/…

From the trailer this looks a lot like it needs an American voice over saying “In an era of inclement weather, one man must trust his instincts, stand up to the generals for what he believes in, and warn the world about the storms that are coming. Only one man can save… D-Day”

@SpitfireFilly I didnt think it was legal to watch it without joining in with the opening theme…

It was great fun to provide the audio commentary for the Blu-ray re-release of the iconic 1969 film 'Battle of Britain' in Australia! Curious to find out whether they left in the bit where I start singing the opening theme to myself...