Britain's Type 45 destroyers are some of the most powerful "small" warships ever put to sea -- unless that sea is as warm as the Persian Gulf, where the ships are routinely deployed.Then they lose electrical power. Totally.
I wish I were kidding, but the HMS Daring and her sister ships "cannot cope" with warm waters:
"The equipment is having to operate in far more arduous conditions that were initially required," Rolls-Royce director Tomas Leahy said.
Managing director of BAE Systems Maritime, John Hudson, supported Leahy's comments, adding: "The operating profile at the time was that there would not be repeated or continuous operations in the Gulf."
Waters in the Persian Gulf can get as hot as 90 degrees F (32 degrees C).
The Royal Navy's Type 45 Destroyer, HMS Defender sails into the HM Naval Base Portsmouth for the first time on July 25, 2012.
Leahy told MPs that turbines do not generate as much power when they run in a hot environment, which is not recognized by the system.
"This is when you get your total electrical failure," Leahy explained.
Who the hell designs a warship unfit for duty in the world's most likely war zone?
| They have a bigger problem than that. If they get into a major war, they have 19 destroyers and frigates. Nineteen. It might be best if their country didn't get itself into a "major war"... |
