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As the government continues to push for new technology to be pushed into the fleet, many older ships are either being sold or scrapped. Vessels have been towed to scrapyards in Turkey to be recycled, while more able ships have been sold to nations seeking to bolster their military.
Various new classes of ships - Type 31s, Type 26s, Multi Role Strike Ships and others - are in production. Despite this ongoing trend, many ships have unclear futures. Many of them may be scrapped, as they hold little strategic value due to being old platforms, while others may be sold on for alterative purposes.
Here are a selection of Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships whose prospects remain unclear.
5. HMS Enterprise
HMS Enterprise, an Echo-class survey vessel - hydrographic oceanographic (SVHO), was decommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Base on March 30, 2023. | Sarah Standing (300323-1764)
6. RFA Wave Ruler
RFA Wave Ruler, pictured alongside RFA Tiderace, was decommissioned in November last year. She is expected to be scrapped, but no set timeframe has been given. | Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
7. HMS Walney
The future of the Royal Navy Sandown-class minehunter HMS Walney is uncertain after it received no bids in a recent Ministry of Defence tender. She was decommissioned in 2010. | Royal Navy
8. RFA Tiderace
RFA Tiderace, a Tide-class replenishment tanker, has been out of action for some time after being brought into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2018. Naval Technology reports that problems with RFA recruitment is causing problems. | Christopher Furlong/Getty Images