Navy: Shipping

(asked on 21st January 2026) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026 to question 105586 on Navy: Shipping, is the Patrick Blackett (a) in service with the Royal Navy and (b) a commissioned warship.


Answered by
Al Carns Portrait
Al Carns
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This question was answered on 30th January 2026

The XV Patrick Blackett is an experimental vessel, operating under a Blue Ensign. While it is in service with the Royal Navy to test new technologies, as an experimental vessel it is not a commissioned warship.

Reticulating Splines