The Royal Navy is in the midst of a crewing crisis as the low number of enlisting officers leaves some warships crewed by just 50 people. Defence contractor Babcock has been contracted by the Government to manufacture a fleet of British frigates capable of being operated by nearly 150 fewer people.
The Navy’s current fleet consists of 68 commissioned ships, 10 of which are Cold War-era Type 23 frigates staffed by roughly 185 sailors each.
Babcock has been enlisted to build a host of new vessels that can operate with a much smaller staff of nearly 50 percent fewer people.
But bosses believe the coming generation could see an even more dramatic decline in necessary crew members as staff numbers drop.
The coming frigates under construction at Babcock will require a core crew of 80 fewer sailors than the current generation.
Type 31s require just 105 people to fully function, and the firm believes the coming generation will need even fewer people.
John Howie, Babcock’s corporate affairs chief, said technological advancements would mean that the Type 31 successors require just 50.
The theoretical Type 32s are far from completion, but Mr Howie told the Daily Telegraph that modern developments in mechanisation could allow them to operate with comparatively tiny crews, helping to navigate the army’s staffing crisis.
He told the publication that automation developments in the Navy have allowed the HMS Queen Elizabeth – one of the UK’s two flagship aircraft carriers – to operate with a core crew of around 750 sailors, up to 1,000 fewer than older models that required “a couple of thousand”.
He added that US carriers have 250 people accomplishing tasks required by “just a handful” on the Queen Elizabeth thanks to mechanisation, and added that The Type 32 – or Type 31 batch two – would likely operate with half of what is required for Type 31s.
Mr Howie said: “Type 31s have a core crew that is much lower than Type 23. So some of it you’re getting through remote monitoring and compartments, some of it through automation.”
“People talk about a Type 32 frigate – we like to refer to it as Type 31 batch two. We’re doing a crew of about 105 on Type 31, so realistically we should be aiming to half that number for batch two.”
Such small core operating teams would help the Navy combat an enduring staff shortage across the British Armed Forces.
Data capturing a year to the end of March 2023 showed the Navy failed to meet its annual recruitment goals, with an annual intake of 2,001 recruits falling 26.94 percent short of a 2,738 target.
Express.co.uk has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.
