Graeme Downie, Labour MP for Dunfermline and Dollar, raised concerns in Parliament regarding the availability of submarine berths for repair and maintenance in both Scotland and across the UK.
He asked what steps the Ministry of Defence is taking to ensure the long-term availability of these crucial facilities, vital to supporting the UK’s submarine fleet.
In response, Luke Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Defence, affirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring the continuous availability of submarine berths to support operations, including the Continuous at Sea Deterrent.
Pollard explained: “The Government is committed to ensuring the availability of submarine berths to support submarine operations, which includes the Continuous at Sea Deterrent. We are focussed on the long-term infrastructure development of His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde and HMNB Devonport to support the United Kingdom’s submarines.”
For reasons of operational security, further details regarding specific berths were not disclosed.
This issue ties into the wider context of the Royal Navy’s infrastructure challenges, as highlighted by Navy Lookout. In short, upgrading dockyard facilities has become one of the limiting factors preventing the Royal Navy from maximising submarine availability. Currently, as pointed out here by NavyLookout, delays in these upgrades mean there are not enough dry docks to meet the Royal Navy’s maintenance needs.
For instance, the shiplift at HMNB Clyde can only handle a single submarine at a time, and facilities at Devonport Dockyard are currently under renovation, leading to further restrictions on maintenance capacity. While the upgrades underway are expected to improve the situation, the short-term impact has been significant, with submarines stuck alongside awaiting dock availability. I advise you read the full article for a more in-depth picture of the issue.