HMS Charger

What I find really depressing is that these are now the largest class of 'warships' in the Royal Navy. I have no doubt that they do a good job but with so few 'real' ships around do we really need as many as we have of these to train recruits with nowhere to go? I just feel that these would look more comfortable on the Norfolk Broads!

Besides University training boats, they really have no other purpose. Granted a light machine gun can be fitted but then you could do that to any vessel.

I wonder of how much use these vessels are, please tell me the students know what the head spring is?

They most certainley seem to know what fenders are Stevo!
My point is that of the 70 or so 'ships' in the current Royal Navy 16 are these Archers! I find it depressing when money is tight and matelots are finding it hard to get a ship that we have so many 'training' boats, and four perfectly capable well armed warships are rotting on the trots.

Unless the plan has changed yes they have Stevo, their secondary role is the Defence of Class "A" Port's and Anchorage's against Spetnaz Frogmen who would be brought to the surface either with stun grenade's or a barbed wire "fence" towed between two. If they were not prepared to surrender then the machine gun would be used. They were built with the relevant high speed to get to the area within the Port's and Anchorage's quickly if there was an alert so any boat would not do. The "Ford" class were built for the same purpose and would most probably been retro-fitted with the Deltic's they were designed for. The Russian's Spetnaz were/ are a lot different to our Special Forces in the way they approach a target which is why the protection of P&A's was/is so important.

Aren't there a couple out @ Gib armed with a couple of MG's more purposefully employed?

They are a handy "little ship", not sure which are at Gib and I believe there are 2 stationed at Cyprus. Like the old "Ford Class" in a Wartime situation these would/will be manned by RNR. University Student training is seen as very important by the Defence Chief's in all of the Service's, how many actually join the RN bearing in mind is the programme now cost effective I have no idea. Some of them I came into contact with left me with a concern as they saw the RN as a career (a bit like working in a Bank) and not as an Armed Service that may have to go to War with at a moments notice.

so sad compared to what we had

I think I am right but as far as I remember the Gibraltar squadron's two ships are HMS Scimitar and HMS Sabre and were previously stationed in Northern Ireland? A little publicised branch of the Navy that is in fact very busy and recent events, again not publicised that involved the Guardia Civil in Gibraltar territorial waters, may yet prove how good they are!