Royal Navy aircraft carriers have been unable to contribute to ongoing UK-US military operations in the Red Sea because of manpower shortages.
Britain has been unable to bring the £3billion aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to bear in the region.
HMS Queen Elizabeth would normally take part in operations as part of a Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group (CSG).
However the only support ship available to keep the CSG supplied, RFA Fort Victoria, cannot carry out the job due to a lack of manpower.
RFA Fort Victoria reportedly requires a crew of 100 but is currently manned only by a skeleton crew.
The former First Sea Lord, Lord West, The Telegraph: “It’s atrocious the Navy has let Fort Victoria get to the state it’s in.
“Bearing in mind she [Fort Victoria] is the only one, there should have been a very high priority when she returned from the CSG 21 to make sure she was in tip-top condition should she be needed.”
In response to the Houthis’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom and the United States conducted airstrikes on military facilities used by the Houthis on Thursday night.
Because of the conflict in Gaza, the Houthis, who are backed by Hamas, claim to be targeting Israeli vessels. The military action, according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was taken in self-defence to ensure the safety of commercial shipping.
Despite this, some experts warned that the strikes could exacerbate Middle Eastern tensions. A group gathered outside the UK embassy in Tehran, burning the flags of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Israel.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Political Council of the Houthis declared that all American-British interests are now legitimate targets, and the UK and US were labelled as “aggressors.”
On Friday afternoon, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported a missile attack off the coast of Aden, Yemen, with the missile landing close to a ship.
The Royal Navy initiative that provides information on security incidents to shipping operators said the missile landed between 400-500 metres away from the ship.
Followed by three craft, it was unclear what nationality the ship was flagged with. No injuries or damage were reported, as vessels were advised to “transit with caution”.
