The British Royal Navy's six Type 45 £1 billion destroyers barely ever leave their docks

Source : www.dailymail.co.uk

The British Royal Navy's six Type 45 £1 billion destroyers barely ever leave their docks

HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender, spent no time at sea during 2017 despite it being 'year of the navy'

The Type 45 destroyers all have engines fitted in 2008 that cut out in warm seas

In December Britain didn't have a single ship on overseas operations anywhere 
Britain's six Type 45 destroyers, described as the backbone of the Royal Navy, spent 80 per cent of last year in dock.

The ships, costing £1billion each, need a multi-million pound refit after repeatedly breaking down in the Persian Gulf. But the work is not due to start until 2020.

Two of the cutting-edge warships, HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender, did not go to sea at all during 2017 – which had been hailed by officials and ministers as 'the year of the Navy'. All six warships, which entered service from 2008, were made with an engine system which cuts out in warm seas, leaving sailors stranded for hours in total darkness. 
This led to fears that these key vessels – designed to shield the rest of the fleet from air or missile attacks – had become 'sitting ducks'. HMS Dragon spent 309 days in Portsmouth last year, followed by HMS Daring with 232 days and HMS Diamond with 203.

HMS Duncan spent the most time at sea, but was still in dock for 197 days.

From January to March this year, HMS Daring, HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender have not left port.

Shockingly, engine-makers Rolls-Royce claim the Ministry of Defence did not tell them the 8,000-ton vessels would spend long periods in warm waters so they were not designed to operate in the heat.

The absence of any of the Navy's 19 frigates and destroyers overseas was described as a 'strategic embarrassment for the country'.