Do Royal Navy ships still carry weapons for landing parties or other embarked tasks?
Short answerThey retain removable machine guns and may embark Royal Marine equipment; the actual carried stores can be broader than a ship's fixed armament implies.
NotesRoyal Navy ships no longer carry the historic landing cannon once associated with shore parties. They do retain removable machine guns that can support embarked or landing tasks. Royal Marine detachments bring their own equipment, and a ship's storage capacity permits additional mission-specific weapons and stores. A vessel's shore capability therefore cannot be read solely from the armament permanently fixed to its deck.