Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using underwater drones to protect sunken Royal Navy ships.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) considers the wrecks of many Royal Navy ships to be the final resting place of Service personnel, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and should be allowed to rest in peace.

The Royal Navy is accelerating its drive towards un-crewed and fully autonomous capabilities for the underwater, surface and air environments, and is exploring as part of its future capability planning work the operational opportunities new technologies provide.

No formal discussions have taken place with the US Government regarding the joint provision of underwater drones to monitor the wrecks of Royal Navy warships.