Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason HMS Lancaster will be decommissioned in Bahrain.

HMS Lancaster has exceeded the 18 years lifespan she was originally built for and, with almost 35 years of outstanding service, she has reached her planned out of service date. She has been forward deployed to the Middle East for the last three years where her output has been exceptional.

Rather than seek to extend her safety certification further, the Royal Navy is commencing preparations for her final disposal while she is in Bahrain. This decision has maximised operational output whilst ensuring that the safety and wellbeing of the Ships Company is paramount. As is standard practice for decommissioning ships, any material or supplies on HMS Lancaster that can be used elsewhere in the fleet will be repurposed.