
Destroyers will break down if sent to Middle East, admits Royal Navy - YeGoblynQueenne
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jun/07/destroyers-will-break-down-if-sent-to-middle-east-admits-royal-navy
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jandrese
Is the problem that the cooling systems are undersized when the ship is in
warm water? That doesn't seem like it should be an insurmountable problem,
although pretty embarrassing for the contractor.

Why is this such a difficult problem for the Royal Navy? Is the system so
complicated that cutting an additional coolant input and installing an
additional pump to increase the flow rate isn't a viable solution? The article
didn't really get into the interesting details.

Edit: Apparently it's an issue with the intercooler. They don't say exactly
what the problem is, but it sounds like it's just straight up undersized.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-
Royce_WR-21](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_WR-21)

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TrevorJ
Rolls Royce claims the engines perform within the specs they were given.
Sounds like the issue may not be with the contractor.

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dsfyu404ed
"We have £1bn destroyers trying to sort out pirates in a little dhow with RPGs
[rocket-propelled grenades] costing $50, with an outboard motor [costing]
$100”

Where can I get one of those $100 outboards? If it can move a rowboat with
five guys faster than a container ship cruises it's good enough for me.

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brianwawok
Craigslist

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gozur88
>Gen (now Lord) David Richards, the former chief of defence staff, repeatedly
questioned the relevance of expensive kit procured by successive governments.
“We have £1bn destroyers trying to sort out pirates in a little dhow with RPGs
[rocket-propelled grenades] costing $50, with an outboard motor [costing]
$100,” he said.

You sure would hate to find out your ship has total spontaneous breakdowns
during its first (and, probably, last) foray into combat with a competent
adversary. Every mission during peacetime is useful for training and
evaluation.

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jandrese
If we were serious about stopping piracy we would bring back the Vietnam era
PT boats and flood the waters around Africa with patrols. Unfortunately,
that's not what the Navy plans for. They're still preparing for the big cold
war battle against the Soviets.

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astrodust
Ship-board drone systems are likely to be the standard deterrent here. A small
swarm of these things capable of sounding an alarm and launching a flare over
the detected craft would give you a lot more time to prepare your defenses.

These things show up on thermal imaging quite well, so finding them is not the
problem. It's having systems that constantly scan and can alert reliably in
the case of a problem with sufficient warning time that's tricky.

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TrevorJ
Between small boats, and drones, boats are more immediately available. Given
the fact that the threat is ongoing, it seems wise to employ boats for now.

