The aging Type 23 force illustrates how planned ship numbers and deployable ship numbers can diverge. One proposal is to retain additional hulls in ordinary reserve and move an active crew across when its usual ship enters a long refit. The substitute hull would protect operational availability without requiring a second full crew, while the resting ship would avoid unnecessary wear. Earlier ship sales and limited Type 45 construction then become part of the readiness problem because they reduce the number of hulls available for rotation.
Notable Point · 13:20-14:30
Reserve rotation protects deployable ship numbers
Rotating crews into reserve hulls during deep refits could preserve availability while giving aging ships periods of reduced use.