How cuts to Britain's military mean we no longer rule the waves, with fleet halved since 1990

How cuts to Britain's military mean we no longer rule the waves, with fleet halved since 1990

The number of vessels the Royal Navy can draw on has halved in 25 years, according to official figures.

As of April 2013 there were 11 submarines and 66 ships in the Royal Navy. This is five fewer ships than in 2010, with the number of aircraft carriers reducing from two to zero.

In 1990, the Royal Navy had 138 ships and 33 submarines. This marks a 60 per cent decrease in the number of submarines, frigates and destroyers the navy has, according to Ministry of Defence figures

The gradual shrinking of the defence budget has meant that, far from the days when over 2,000 vessels were needed in the effort of World War Two, the Royal Navy's capacity has declined to a point where there are fears that...

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