In the late 1970’s under an incompetent Tory government the Royal Navy was hammered in massive cost cuts which saw the end of Britain’s Aircraft Carriers with HMS Ark Royal R09 being scrapped.

Instead of replacing the fixed wing carrier, we were presented with 3 wholly inadequate ships called through deck cruisers as the lame duck thatcherites did not want to alarm the public by calling them aircraft carriers.

What they did not realise at the time when they were scrapping the navy and then using cheap and nasty equipment in huge cost cutting exercise was that Argentina saw an opportunity to take back the Falklands, and anyone who served at the time, and now looks back, realises they very nearly did.

If the Ark Royal had still been in commission, it is well documented that the Falklands would probably never have happened, the fire power of the Ark would not only have smashed the invaders, it would have sunk every ship and smashed almost every airport on the Argentinean mainland.

Her airborne radar capability would have spotted the Super Etendard flying from Rio Grande and they would have been taken out long before ships like the Sheffield would be in range.

The government also used cheap and nasty materials, we were supplied with nylon No8 dress and nylon overalls rather than cotton which was much more expensive.

The result was that the nylon just melted and burned its way into the skin and offered no protection whatsoever

The alloys used in ship building were substandard and buckled at low temperature, in fact the fleet was built around the lowest bidder with no thought about what happens in battle.

The MOD said it learned many a lesson from the deaths and terrible injuries sustained by our forces, and that the cost cutting would stop.

It is with great sadness I read today that the weevils which infest the government have learned NOTHING from our sacrifices.

They are mothballing the fleet, the proposed aircraft carriers have still not been signed off, and we now find our nuclear submarines are not fit for purpose.

The leaky vanguard class has been described as “just about” seaworthy, with no spares available to repair these “state of the art” ships, mop and bucket are used to mop up leaks, batteries are not up to scratch and the oxygen plant is below standard seaworthiness.

A senior rating said "They want a Premier League system and they're paying Third Division prices.

Sailors on the Navy's nuclear powered Trafalgar class submarines, which carry conventional weapons, are also concerned.

Former Petty Officer Paul Reidy said that towards the end of his career he was worried about the state of the submarines he served on.

The vessels suffered from leaking hatches and unfinished equipment, he said.

Another sailor, who wished to remain anonymous, said in his five years aboard Trafalgar class vessels they experienced potential dangerous failures of electrical systems.

He said on one occasion his craft might have sunk to the bottom of the sea with its crew trapped inside following a systems failure.

"If we weren't coming up we would have been stuck there, if we were going down we would not have been able to come back up."

The Popular Alliance say,” How dare this government put our troops at risk (again) from second rate equipment, it’s time we get rid of the real enemy to our nations security and throw these scurvy dogs in the brig along with the architect and his flunkey of this criminal act, Mr Blair and Brown

The full Story of our "sinking submarines" may be found HERE

The Popular Alliance Defence Policy may be read HERE

If you have any questions or suggestions please contact us or log on to our forum and post your comment and we will be happy to reply.