HMS Protector breaks down and leaves UK without an Ice Patrol

Britain has been left without its Ice Patrol after HMS Protector on Tuesday suffered engine problems and had to be towed back to Plymouth, according to reports in the media. This could speed the Royal Navy’s assessment as to whether the vessel originally built in Norway and now with 25 years of rough seas in both poles has to be replaced.

The breakdown comes at a critical moment, when world powers are rushing to take advantage of navigation opportunities in the Arctic, particularly Russia, and in the southern seas, with as ever aggressive Argentina threatening the Falkland Islands development of its resources.

The Telegraph reports that Royal Navy sources admitted the situation as a “catastrophic failure”. And Commander Tom Sharpe, who commanded HMS Endurance, Protector’s predecessor, said it would be “poor timing” to remove the ship from service.

In March, Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the First Sea Lord, admitted that the Navy was not ready for war. It has five active frigates, six destroyers and two aircraft carriers, alongside a submarine fleet of six Astute-class attack boats and four Vanguard-class subs, which carry the UK’s nuclear weapons.

Both carriers, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth, have reported mechanical problems since their maiden voyages.

Military chiefs are waiting for the spending review for details about how the Government will meet a long-term Nato pledge of increasing the core defense budget to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035.

HMS Protector underpins the UK’s presence in the British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

In 2008, HMS Endurance, the Navy’s previous icebreaker, suffered a flood caused by “poor engineering standards”. At the time, the Navy insisted that she would be repaired and returned to sea. However, she was not and was eventually replaced by HMS Protector after around three years.

HMS Protector was originally named MV Polarbjørn, meaning Polar bear in Norwegian, before being leased in 2011 by the Navy for £8.7m a year. The UK government paid £51m to own the ship outright in 2013. Later refurbished, HMS Protector should expect to have another decade of use before being withdrawn from service.

With a crew of 88, she is typically lightly armed carrying machine guns, but often carries a detachment of Royal Marines. Although classed as a Royal Navy warship, the vessel has retained her original red and white paint scheme. The Royal Navy website says she is affectionately referred to as the “Swiss army knife, red, versatile, and always there when you need her!”

Last month, Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, described HMS Protector as an “essential presence” and confirmed she would be replaced at the end of her service life. He said the Ministry of Defense would replace HMS Protector with “a more modern variant” to ensure support for government activities in the Arctic and around the British Antarctic Territory would continue.

A Royal Navy spokesman said: “HMS Protector has returned to her home port of Devonport while investigations into a defect take place. As part of the defense investment plan, HMS Protector will be replaced with a more modern variant to maintain the ice patrol capability.