Over the past year, six ships from the Royal Navy have been retired from service. Navy observers noted this trend clearly across multiple postings.
The vessels named include Wave Knight, HMS Echo, HMS Shoreham, HMS Grimsby, HMS Enterprise, and HMS Montrose. Each ship’s decommissioning was attributed to a mix of budget constraints and strategic choices aimed at reallocating funds toward newer technologies and other defense priorities.
Earlier reports highlighted a separate action by the Brazilian Navy, which chose to sink the decommissioned aircraft carrier Sao Paulo in the Atlantic. The decision followed a resolution to bar the carrier from entering Brazil’s inland waters due to the risk of becoming stranded in shallow or restricted zones.
According to Brazilian officials, the carrier was sunk on February 3, approximately 350 kilometers off the coast, at a depth near 5,000 meters. The location was selected after careful consideration of fisheries safety, ecological impact, navigation, and broader maritime environment concerns. The operation was conducted with measures in place to minimize ecological disturbance and protect marine life while ensuring safe disposal of the aging vessel. [Attribution: Brazilian Navy communications and maritime safety advisories]