[BITList] Type 45 Destroyers

[Michael Feltham]

MP reveals Royal Navy faces ‘unbelievable’ muti-million pound bill to repair

destroyers

AN SNP MP has said he is furious after it was revealed that the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers – once described as the best in the world – were still in need of millions of pounds of major repair work. Douglas Chapman, who sits on Westminster’s Defence Select Committee, described the work to fix severe internal electrical and propulsion (IEP) problems as “unbelievable”. He told The National: “It has become clear that there were around 50 alterations to the IEP systems during the construction of the Type 45s on the Clyde, so it is really unbelievable that the MoD have still not found a way to rectify these problems. “There have been rumours of such problems for a while – indeed my colleague Angus Robertson raised these problems with the minister as far back as June 2011. “These are top-of-the-range and costly vessels and it is a real shame that the Bristol-built IEP systems do not come up to the same standard of workmanship as we have witnessed by the workforce on the Clydeside yards where these ships were built. “I’ll be doing all I can to ensure that this repair work is carried out in Scotland and that the taxpayer does not carry the full cost of these necessary repairs.” Chapman’s remarks came after the committee wrote to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon asking for a detailed explanation of faults in the Type 45 fleet. Members said the announcement of a multi-million pound refit programme appeared to reflect a far more serious matter than “equipment reliability issues” as described by MoD ministers last year. In the letter to Fallon, committee chairman Dr Julian Lewis said MPs wanted detailed information on problems with power outages and breakdowns. They wanted to know the cause of the problem and when it first appeared; the number of outages and breakdowns; if the root cause was component, build or design failure; if problems were identified during sea trials and before the contract was signed off; and whether there were any changes to specifications during the build. His letter said: “The committee would also like further information on how this problem will be resolved, who will be liable for the cost of the refit and how long it will take to complete ... across the Type 45 class. ”The six destroyers, built by BAE, run off electricity from Rolls-Royce gas turbines and generators through an electrical grid, powering everything from the propellers to the radar. But when the systems all run together they can trip out leaving the vessel blacked out and defenceless. To repair the faults, engineers will have to bore holes in the sides of the £1bn vessels to install new generators. Naval sources have said that “total electric failures are common” on the ships, and two years ago one of them – HMS Dauntless – had to stop a training exercise because of power failure. In 2009, on its first voyage to the US, another destroyer – HMS Daring – lost power in the Atlantic. A spokesman for the MoD said last year’s defence review had committed to improving the Type 45’s power and propulsion system through a series of upgrades during planned maintenance. The upgrades would “ensure increased availability and resilience over the life of the ships”, the MoD said in a statement. MPs and peers have repeatedly asked questions about the power failures, including Robertson, the SNP’s Westminster leader, who was told the MoD did not routinely record incidents of power failure on the Type 45s. Source : The National 
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