§ 7. Mr. Willisasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty to what extent the increasing complexity of equipment makes necessary more frequent examination, repair, and refitting; and what effect this has on the availability of ships in service.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-EwingModern ships require far more skilled maintenance than their predecessors and refits take longer but are not more frequent. Dockings and boiler cleaning are actually less frequent than they used to be. As to availability, exact comparison with pre-war types is most difficult. It is clear however that ships of the Fleet now spend many more days a year steaming than they did before the war.
§ Mr. WillisThey are rather different reasons from those mentioned in the Question. As the Minister is aware—he made this clear in his answer—much longer periods are required for refitting. Can he say what is being done to try to reduce this time, in order to make the ships available for longer periods, because of their expensive nature?
§ Mr. Orr-EwingThis matter is obviously near to the heart of the Board of Admiralty. Now that our ships are so expensive and complicated it is of vital importance that we should have them available for the greatest possible time. We are organising fleet maintenance units and class authorities just to help this project.
§ Commander KeransCan my hon. Friend say how the sea time done in the Royal Navy compares with that done by other foreign navies, such as those of America and Holland?
§ Mr. Orr-EwingI should very much like to know. I do not have the facts before me, but perhaps I can find out and let my hon. and gallant Friend know.