The First Sea Lord in a rallying call to the Navy and the nation asks that the Royal Navy should be judged on action not commentary (by which he means analysis of the fleet’s current condition not generated by the Service itself or the Ministry of Defence). Well, as one of the principal commentators on the UK naval scene – someone who loves the RN and understands completely its importance to the security and prosperity of the nation – Odin says let’s hope that the Navy is not soon judged in action. For, across a series of defence cuts, culminating in the disastrous SDSR 2010, decisions have been taken to balance the books regardless of the need to maintain Britain’s defence.

The Navy is in dire straits and it is only due to apathy or ignorance of naval matters by the majority of newspapers and other media organisations that the damage has been done without much interest beyond the naval community. Those chickens are coming home to roost and even media organisations with, shall we say, no Naval Intellect at all are realising something is seriously wrong.