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Warships

Volume 481: debated on Thursday 23 October 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many months and what percentage time each Royal Navy attack submarine in service spent (a) on operations and (b) in maintenance in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09 to date; (226980)

(2) how many months and what percentage of time each Royal Navy destroyer in service spent (a) on operations and (b) in maintenance in each year since 2006;

(3) how many months and what percentage of time each Royal Navy aircraft carrier in service spent (a) on operations and (b) in maintenance in each year since 1997.

The months and percentage time spent on operations or in maintenance for the periods requested for Royal Navy carriers, destroyers and attack submarines are as follows:

Ark Royal

Months

Percentage

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

1997

10

0

0

0

1998

10

0

0

0

1999

0

8

0

63

2000

0

12

0

100

2001

1

7

0

58

2002

4

2

31

21

2003

3

4

38

15

2004

10

2

0

9

2005

10

3

0

27

2006

0

9

0

66

2007

3

1

25

8

2008

4

0

33

0

1 HMS Ark Royal at low readiness.

Illustrious

Months

Percentage

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

1997

7

3

62

11

1998

3

7

26

49

1999

4

4

19

23

2000

3

5

40

20

2001

6

4

48

4

2002

3

4

23

27

2003

0

12

0

100

2004

10

9

0

85

2005

4

2

19

15

2006

5

5

37

15

2007

5

3

42

25

2008

5

1

42

8

1 HMS Illustrious conducting post refit trials.

Invincible

Months

Percentage

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

1997

5

4

42

33

1998

5

3

42

25

1999

5

6

42

50

2000

6

4

50

33

2001

1

10

8

83

2002

0

12

0

100

2003

4

1

33

8

2004

6

5

50

42

2005

3

4

25

33

2006

10

0

0

0

2007

10

0

0

0

2008

10

0

0

0

1 HMS Invincible at low readiness in Portsmouth.

Destroyers

2007

2008

Months

Percentage

Months

Percentage

Vessel

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

Edinburgh

6

3

50

25

5

2

42

17

Gloucester

1

9

8

75

3

3

25

25

Manchester

7

4

58

33

6

3

58

25

York

4

2

33

17

0

9

0

83

Exeter

4

1

33

8

5

0

42

0

Liverpool

1

7

8

58

8

1

75

8

Nottingham

5

4

42

33

4

0

33

0

Southampton

7

2

58

17

2

5

17

42

Attack submarines

2007

2008

Months

Percentage

Months

Percentage

Vessel

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

Op time

Main time

Superb

1

8

10

64

2

4

17

46

Sceptre

7

2

55

13

1

6

12

61

Trafalgar

0

10

0

81

4

2

41

19

Turbulent

2

7

20

57

0

9

0

100

Tireless

5

4

41

29

3

5

28

54

Torbay

0

11

0

92

2

4

17

39

Trenchant

5

3

39

26

4

2

39

23

Talent

5

3

39

22

5

2

53

18

Triumph

0

12

0

100

0

9

0

100

The figures given for 2008 in all tables are for 1 January to 30 September 2008.

Time not accounted for under operations and maintenance in the tables includes periods of basic sea safety training, post refit trials, periods of extended leave and other duties (such as conducting synthetic training, ammunitioning, storing) undertaken while in port.

As I stated in my letter to the hon. Member on 5 November 2007, the figures provided are necessarily approximate because records held centrally do not always distinguish precisely between routine maintenance and other time spent alongside, since the two activities are often intermixed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many days each Type 42 destroyer in service spent at sea in each year since 2003; (227933)

(2) how many days each attack submarine in service has spent at sea in each year since 2003;

(3) how many days each Type (a) 22 and (b) 23 frigate in service spent at sea in each year since 2003.

The number of days at sea for Royal Navy Destroyers, Frigates and Attack Submarines since 2003 are as follows:

Attack Submarines

Vessel

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Sovereign

108

27

52

141

01

0

Spartan

103

98

181

01

0

0

Splendid

164

01

0

0

0

0

Superb

02

0

0

261

75

71

Sceptre

176

123

149

110

217

44

Trafalgar

0

95

148

128

51

156

Turbulent

143

157

135

141

96

0

Tireless

142

152

0

122

159

95

Torbay

212

23

117

209

0

115

Trenchant

104

115

146

0

185

119

Talent

02

0

0

56

189

140

Triumph

221

6

02

0

0

0

Notes:

1. HMS Sovereign, HMS Spartan And HMS Splendid were decommissioned submarines that were running over the period.

2. The figures for HMS Superb, HMS Talent and HMS Triumph reflect their major refit periods.

Destroyers

Vessel

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Edinburgh

157

149

67

111

121

134

Gloucester

129

131

111

141

37

75

Manchester

143

118

128

47

153

132

York

172

54

177

118

97

0

Exeter

61

163

0

96

71

19

Liverpool

188

110

154

126

63

131

Nottingham

0

85

138

126

109

60

Southampton

35

158

109

142

167

44

Type 22 and 23 Frigates

Vessel

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Argyll

91

138

157

135

143

114

Lancaster

150

42

135

146

142

95

Iron Duke

176

140

97

163

22

139

Monmouth

117

162

114

101

170

44

Montrose

24

122

165

139

152

173

Westminster

70

40

135

148

92

150

St Albans

121

148

98

159

41

35

Northumberland

164

14

66

152

137

90

Richmond

167

157

11

46

206

103

Somerset

103

184

83

23

79

127

Sutherland

164

120

97

141

153

0

Kent

183

104

72

169

98

113

Portland

160

99

125

44

184

57

Cornwall

148

105

34

113

159

100

Cumberland

114

178

143

66

23

78

Campbeltown

128

168

137

63

159

114

Chatham

180

110

128

129

94

163

The figures given for 2008 in all tables are for 1 January to 30 September 2008.

These figures do not include time spent in harbour, alongside training, self maintenance and periods of leave.