How to Build an Aircraft Carrier – Book Review
£20.50 (Hardback) | £12.99 (Kindle) | £8.79 (Paperback – May 2022) Documentary filmmaker and anthropologist, Chris Terrill’s book, “How to Build an Aircraft Carrier” details the early years of HMS Queen Elizabeth. The author was onboard for her first voyage and sea trials in 2017 and the Westlant 18 deployment the following year.
HMS Prince of Wales into the spotlight
2022 will see HMS Prince of Wales begin to get into her stride as an operational warship. Here we report from a ceremony held onboard to mark the RN taking command of the NATO Response Force Task Group.
HMS Northumberland gets up close with a Russian submarine
The 3rd series of the Channel Five TV documentary Warship – Life at Sea, following HMS Northumberland on patrol inside the Arctic Circle, has revealed a Russian SSN collided with her towed array sonar. Here we take an overview of events and their context.
Learning the lessons – the loss the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad
In 2021 the Accident Investigation Board – Norway (AIBN) published a detailed report covering the loss of HNoMS Helge Ingstad after she collided with an oil tanker in November 2018. There is much to be learned from this event that is applicable to the RN and global navies. In this in-depth, although far from exhaustive, […]
A year in review – the Royal Navy in 2021
2021 can be seen as another broadly positive year for the RN with the Integrated Review the maiden operational deployment of the carrier strike group the dominant stories.
In focus: the Bofors 40mm Mk 4 gun that will equip the Type 31 frigates
The Type 31 frigates will introduce two guns types new to Royal Navy service. In the first of two articles examining these weapons, we look at the Bofors 40mm Mk 4 gun.
How can fewer frigates make a more effective Royal Navy fleet?
The RN currently has 18 frigates and destroyers in commission and this number will fall to 17 in 2022. Here we examine the justification for this reduction and the wider issues around fleet size discussed in the December 2021 House of Commons Defence Select Committee report titled “We are going to need a bigger navy”.
What did the 2021 Carrier Strike Group deployment achieve?
After more than 7 months away, the carrier strike group has returned to the UK. While official channels rightly trumpet the many achievements of the deployment, here we provide a balanced assessment of the trip which has not been entirely plain sailing.
Photo essay – the Carrier Strike Group on the homeward leg
This photo and video essay cover the activities of the Carrier Strike Group on the final part of the 2021 deployment that took them from the Gulf of Oman, through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean and back to UK waters.
