'Chronic lack of sea time' and low morale hitting Royal Navy with force running out of Captains

Record low numbers of people are passing specific qualifications in the Royal Navy to reach the level of Captain.

The Sun reports that there are a record lower number of sailors achieving certain qualifications due to a lack of time at sea. The national publication said Not a single submarine commander passed the legendary Perisher course last year, with less than ten officers passing the command qualification - known as CQ2 - for surface warships.

Sources from The Sun said the only reason that operations are not being impacted is because of the large numbers of ships being scrapped or stuck in ports for repairs. One added that the low pass rate was down to “chronic lack of sea time” and low morale.

“Thirty years ago you’d get your destroyer, it would be working, and you’d be off doing cool stuff,” another added. “Now, a lot of the time the ship is alongside.”

The Royal Navy is pushing to modernise the fleet via a hybrid model. Conventional warships will be supported by drones and autonomous vessels, deploying primarily to the North Atlantic and High North to deal with increased threats from adversaries such as Russia.

It’s a race to build new and advanced warships, such as the General Purpose Type 31 warships and Type 26 submarine-hunting vessels. Many of the current crop of ships, especially the Type 23 frigates, are being retired due to their age and serving way beyond their intended service life.

Some previously operational ships have recently gone into deep maintenance. Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan will be undergoing enhancements to resolve long-standing propulsion issues. In total, the Royal Navy has only 11 frigates and destroyers, some of those are in deep maintenance.

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The earliest new frigate is not expected until 2028 at the earliest, with the majority of them being rolled out in the 2030s. Chair of the defence select committee, Tan Dheshi, previously said the “hard truth” over the lack of ships was a “wake up call” for the public and politicians.

Several ships have been towed to HMNB Portsmouth and brought out again to be scrapped. Retired frigates HMS Iron Duke and HMS Richmond have been seen in various states while passing the Hot Walls in Old Portsmouth.

In response to the lack of training opportunities, a Royal Navy spokesperson said: “We continue to generate the high-quality leaders we need for operational commitments.”