Risk to forces

For the government to argue that the four new tankers being ordered from South Korea (your report, 25 February) are not warships is to be economical with the truth. Yes, the ships will be registered as merchant vessels and most of the personnel aboard will be Merchant Navy, but they serve the Royal Navy and this civilian arrangement is unique, as all other navies would have such ships manned by naval personnel.

On the other hand, the ships have helicopter landing platforms and hangars, and the helicopters will be manned and maintained by Royal Navy personnel. If, as most Royal Fleet Auxiliaries do, they have anti- aircraft or anti-missile weapons fitted, the Royal Navy will also look after these.

Given the much reduced size of our surface fleet, there has been increasing use of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels in operations such as disaster relief in the Caribbean and anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean.

In many ways, the RFAs are better in this role than some warships, especially since the Royal Navy, which pioneered the operation of helicopters from small warships such as frigates and destroyers, has always been wary of placing more than one small helicopter aboard a warship, and unlike some navies has not placed medium-sized helicopters on such vessels. Anti-piracy operations require low-tech warships, with helicopters.

The real problem is that in placing such contracts abroad, we risk destroying our ability to support our own armed forces. In the late 1930s, rearmament was hampered by the shortage of suitable shipyards with much capacity lost during the years of the Great Depression. Sadly, the situation is even worse today.

DAVID WRAGG

Stoneyflatts

South Queensferry