RFA Duke of Edinburgh?

uk 75

uk 75

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Not sure where or whether discussion of this should go.
The announcement that the Royal Navy is
to get a 200 million "national ship" in
four years time poses many questions.
The Royals are more sensitive to public
opinion these days and are reportedly
not keen on being associated with it.
Apart from being a venue for trade fairs
(didnt they convert a ship in 1951 for
the Festival of Britain?) no other use
has been described.
HMRY Britannia served as a refuge for the
Monarch in the Cold War. Perhaps the government
feel the need for such a refuge again.
Does not seem to get much support so far.
 
Coming so shortly after the Boris's flat affair, you have to question the timing.
 
The key part is that this is a 'national flagship' i.e. its not tied to being a Royal ferry. This luxury yacht is intended for future PMs and cabinet ministers to swan around the globe, maybe they might let the Royals play about in it if they are lucky.

The whole thing seems ludicrous, the idea that you're going to travel aboard on this thing for serious official visits.
So you want to do a trade deal in the Far East and some minister is going to spend three weeks floating about - presumably stopping off at every billionaires watering hole en route? PM wants to visit the US, sure take the slow boat, nothing like a 5-day voyage. Business moves quick, flying is faster and cheaper (one in-flight meal is cheaper than two weeks of state banquets).
Or maybe we're paying £200 million for a floating hotel for foreign dignitaries moored up in some picturesque inlet somewhere?
I'm not sure even the younger Royals would want to use it, unless they really aren't in a hurry to get anywhere and want to use this as some kind of eco-friendly green transport smokeshield. Hopefully the PAC does a through job on checking out this business plan.
 
I doubt that many people (the crew excepted) will be doing much travelling, or even sleeping on board. I suspect that the ship will be moved about to wherever it is required to act as a combination hospitality/exhibition showcase, with politicians etc flying out to it as needed.
 
Something based on a FastShip hull design might be interesting. By the way, it won't be named after Prince Phillip after all. From the reports floating around, one rather gets the impression that if a Royal Navy vessel was to be named after him, Her Majesty would prefer it to be a heavy cruiser, at the very least.
 
Grey Havoc said:
Something based on a FastShip hull design might be interesting. By the way, it won't be named after Prince Phillip after all. From the reports floating around, one rather gets the impression that if a Royal Navy vessel was to be named after him, Her Majesty would prefer it to be a heavy cruiser, at the very least.
Click to expand...
Hmmm - there's a thought. If we really want to build a new RN ship which will create a major impression, how about a battleship?
 
Tony Williams said:
I doubt that many people (the crew excepted) will be doing much travelling, or even sleeping on board. I suspect that the ship will be moved about to wherever it is required to act as a combination hospitality/exhibition showcase, with politicians etc flying out to it as needed.
Click to expand...
Well the government could charter any old boat for that, bit tough on the 49 landlocked countries around the world though.

There are other way to get an HMS Duke of Edinburgh; rename of the forthcoming Dreadnought-class SSBNs, technically DofE was an armoured cruiser and not a battleship but I'm sure they could stretch a point. Or as one of the Inspiration-class (T31); a ship that helped to rescue the survivors of the SS Delhi which ran aground off the coast of Morocco in December 1911, made an amphibious assault (attack on Cheikh Said in the Red Sea in November 1914) and survived the malestrom of the Battle of Jutland unscathed would have applied surely?
 

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