HC Deb 02 March 1978 vol 945 cc375-6W
Mr. Trotter

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the age of HMS "Reclaim"; what is her motive power other than sails; whether she is regarded as capable of providing an adequate modern deep diving facility for the Royal Navy; and why the statement on the defence estimates does not refer to her replacement.

Mr. Duffy

HMS "Reclaim" is 30 years old and is powered by triple expansion steam engines. She continues to make a useful contribution to the Royal Navy's diving capability. However, the Ministry of Defence announced the placing of a design contract for a seabed operations vessel on 2nd June 1977. This vessel is planned to give the Royal Navy an ability to find, inspect, work on and recover objects on the seabed in much greater depths than is now possible. We shall make an announcement about the construction contract at the appropriate time. In addition, the Ministry of Defence has recently chartered a diving support ship, "Sea-forth Clansman", for a period of 12 months to assess the contribution she might make to extending the Royal Navy's diving capabilities.