Six new amphibious warships are planned to be built for Royal Marine operations, replacing HMS Albion and Bulwark at HMNB Devonport. Rebecca Smith MP has quizzed the Defence Secretary on when the new Multi Role Support Ships (MRSS) will be delivered, leaning into the cross-party support for the Royal Marines in Plymouth.
Announcing the plans, the Royal Navy website details “MRSS will be extremely versatile warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations, and designed to carry vehicles, aircraft, insertion craft and a broad range of uncrewed systems for complicated missions. They will also be able to act as primary casualty receiving ships, providing urgent medical care to British forces wherever they are deployed.”
Speaking in the House of Commons Chamber, Rebecca Smith MP, Member of Parliament for South West Devon, stated:
“We have long-standing, cross-party support in Plymouth and Devon for ensuring the future of the Royal Marines, including 42 Commando in my constituency.
“Given the amphibious assault capability gap that we have as a result of scrapping—or, should I say, retiring—Devonport ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, what commitment can the Secretary of State give that the green light will be given to building six multi-role support ships, and can he give a firm indication of when he hopes they will be in service?”
Secretary of State for Defence John Healey responded:
“HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion were not genuine capabilities. The Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry made that clear. Neither ship was set to put to sea again before their out-of-service date.
“This decision allows us to focus resources on where they need to be: on the capabilities that we need to support our Marines and deal with our adversaries.”
Reflecting on the Secretary of State’s response, Rebecca commented:
“I was deeply concerned by the Government’s decision to scrap HMS Bulwark and Albion last November. On Monday, I asked the Defence Secretary when the six planned amphibious warships will be built to replace Bulwark and Albion and support Royal Marine operations.
“Given the cross-party support for keeping the Royal Marines in Plymouth, the Government’s timescale is of significant interest to Plymouth and our surrounding communities. I was disappointed by the lack of an answer to my question by the Secretary of State.”
On Tuesday, November 20, the Government announced its intention to axe three Devonport-based warships in a huge blow to the military prestige of Plymouth. Amphibious assault ships HMS Albion and Bulwark and the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland are all on the chopping block in the latest swathe of stinging government cuts.
The £500m MoD cuts also includes two tankers, RFA Wave Knight and Wave Ruler, Watchkeeper WK450 Mk1 drones, 14 CH-47 Chinook helicopters and 17 Puma helicopters.