Shocking: Cash-Strapped Royal Navy to Dump “Victory”
The once invincible Royal Navy now plans to dispose of one of its most cherished icons. From the UK Times:
The Royal Navy may hand over HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship on which he met his death at the Battle of Trafalgar, to a charity or a government department.
They are among options being considered to take over the cost of £1.5 million a year to run the world’s only 18th-century “ship of the line” – one that took a direct part in sea battles. Some 500,000 people a year visit the vessel in dry dock at Portsmouth.
The range of options that the Ministry of Defence is putting out for consultation are leaving the Victory with the Navy, public ownership by another government department or public body, setting up a new charity for the ship or using an existing one.
This is heart-wrenching. The greatest symbol of British seapower is to be discarded, much as any semblance of great-power status.
Update-From Save the Royal Navy, “Flogging off Nelson’s flagship cannot simply be seen as a rational cost-saving measure but must be interpreted as a calculated and deliberate insult to the Royal Navy.” Here! Here!
Yep – absolutely right. Our government is making us an international laughing stock. Most sane British people find this latest plan an outrage. See: http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/index.html#8059871286023666024
Hopefully this will be the straw to break the camel’s back, and the Britains will declare ENOUGH!
As someone wrote earlier this year: Rue Britannia…
There have been reports as well that the RAF is trying to unload their Typhoons to some other buyer… including the ones they haven’t even taken delivery of yet… as a cost saving measure. What are they going to replace them with? I can’t imagine they honestly believe the Joint Strike Fighter would be any cheaper, even if it could be turned into a real air superiority fighter. And just how is Britain going to afford two 68+ ton supercarriers if they can’t afford maintenance on a wooden ship sitting dockside?
Will they be able to afford the aircraft for these monstrosities? I see in Britain the future of the USN: a tiny fleet filled with relics of the past. Not built to fight but to “scare” the enemy. Only the enemy isn’t scared.
Has Joe Riley offered a bid to house Victory in the SC Aquarium?