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Daily Mail: Royal Navy has only ordered one aircraft carrier, four fishing patrol vessels, one frigate and five subs for the next TEN YEARS as report warns it will get even smaller amid criticism it can't protect ships in the Gulf
* Comes as questions have been raised over Britain's ability to defend itself after attacks on UK vessels by Iran
* Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which joins 'Big Lizzie', is the only other of the behemoths being built
* There are two types of submarines underway, made up of the Astute class and Dreadnought-class
* To stem flow of migrants trying to reach the UK, four river-class offshore patrol vessels are being developed
* And a fleet of frigates are to join the UK's defence force, but only one has been been given commission date
The Royal Navy has only ordered one aircraft carrier, a handful of offshore patrol vessels, five submarines, and a single new frigate for the next decade as a report says its force will get even smaller.
It comes as serious questions have been raised over Britain's ability to defend itself following Iran seizing the UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz.
The aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, will be a sister ship to the Navy's flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth and will not come on line until next year.
Four river-class offshore patrol vessels are being developed and will be operational before the end of the year, however they will be no use in the current stand-off in the Gulf.
Those boats will be pressed into service to stem the flow of migrants trying to reach the UK mainland.
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WNU Editor: And the trend of shrinking the fleet will continue.
