Submarine maintenance at heart of £26bn naval base overhaul after years of underfunding
A £26bn overhaul of the Royal Navy's main bases could be the largest since the Battle of Trafalgar, Defence Procurement Minister Luke Pollard has suggested, as he acknowledged that years of under-investment had held back submarine maintenance.
Project Royal Oak will rebuild docks, berths and engineering facilities at HMNBs Clyde, Devonport and Portsmouth over the next decade.
At Faslane, more submarine refit work will be carried out alongside Devonport as the base prepares to support the growing Astute fleet, the future Dreadnought-class deterrent submarines and, eventually, SSN-Aukus.
"I personally think it's the biggest naval base upgrade since the Battle of Trafalgar, but apparently we didn't keep the receipts for every upgrade that's taken place in those 200 years, so we can't fact-check that to be entirely spot on," Mr Pollard said.
"But we do know it is the biggest upgrade since the end of the Cold War."
The 10-year investment includes £15.1bn for HMNB Clyde, known to many as Faslane, £7.1bn for HMNB Devonport and £3.9bn for HMNB Portsmouth.
'Submarines are my number one priority'
The First Sea Lord has identified restoring the submarine fleet as his leading concern after decades of under-investment in the UK's nuclear infrastructure.
“Submarines are my number one priority," General Sir Gwyn Jenkins told BFBS Forces News.
"We've got two principal programmes running – the submarine maintenance recovery programme, that's all about getting the right tools to the right people at the right time in order to fix our submarines.
"It sounds like a simple solution; it's fiendishly complex," he said.
"But fundamentally... it's about dry docks. It's about supply chains. It's about re-energising the whole of the nuclear business with our defence nuclear enterprise colleagues in order to get these submarines to sea."
Gen Sir Gwyn said decades of underinvestment in the Navy’s infrastructure and maintenance facilities had already had an effect across the service.
Faslane's £15bn upgrade
HMNB Clyde, commonly known throughout the Navy as Faslane because of its location, will receive the lion's share of the £26bn investment.
"We are expecting Faslane to have more submarines active there than there has been for a very long time," Mr Pollard said.
Some refit work that might previously have been carried out at Devonport would also need to take place at Faslane because of the number of submarines requiring maintenance and upgrades.
"That doesn't in any way remove the importance of Devonport for deep maintenance for submarines, but reflects the requirement of the fleet that have to be upgraded," he said.
He described the work required while Faslane continues operating as the home of the Submarine Service and the UK's nuclear deterrent as a "huge challenge".
It could make the base "probably Scotland's biggest building site over the next decade", he added.
What the £26bn will deliver
Around £26bn will be spent over the next decade rebuilding docks, berths, engineering facilities and accommodation at the Royal Navy's three main bases.
The largest share, £15.1bn, will go to Clyde, where Programme Euston will replace ageing facilities used to take nuclear-powered submarines out of the water for maintenance.
The wider transformation also includes new waterfront infrastructure, training facilities and new Single Living Accommodation.
A £169m Submarine Engineering Recovery programme will establish an off-site engineering facility and aims to increase the amount of submarine maintenance completed by at least 200% by 2029.
Devonport will receive £7.1bn to reinforce its role as the Navy's centre for deep submarine maintenance.
The work includes modernising 10 Dock to provide a second dock for Astute-class and future SSN-Aukus submarines, preparing 14 Dock for the return of submarine defuelling and building a new non-tidal maintenance berth.
Portsmouth's £3.9bn allocation will cover repairs and upgrades to jetties and berths under Project Bentham.
The MOD also promises improvements to accommodation and welfare facilities at HMS Nelson.
Mr Pollard confirmed that the total includes some projects that had already been announced and funded, but said planned spending had increased at all three bases.
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