§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the starting date of the refit of HMS "Ark Royal"; when it is now expected that the refit of HMS "Hermes" will be completed; and how many and which major surface combatants larger than a destroyer are expected to be fully available to the operational fleet while "Ark Royal" and "Hermes" are both in refit.
§ Mr. DuffyHMS "Ark Royal's" refit is scheduled to start on 22nd November 1976; the planned completion date for HMS "Hermes" refit is 10th December 1976.
During the short period of time that they are both in refit, two major surface ships larger than a destroyer will be fully operational with the fleet, namely HMS "Tiger" and HMS "Fearless". Short overlapping of refits is standard dockyard practice and facilitates a smooth transfer of work for the labour force.