§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names and dates of(a) the surface vessels and (b) the submarines which have been mothballed by his Department in the last five years; and if he will list the last refit date of each of these together with the cost of refit. [1335]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotRoyal Navy ships are routinely cycled through varying degrees of readiness—for example, when undergoing refit—but only one vessel, HMS Andromeda, has been placed in long term storage during the last five years. Andromeda entered this state in June 1993. Her previous refit took place between August 1990 and December 1991 at a cost of some £27 million. She was formally decommissioned in November 1994.
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