Britannia is but a ripple on the waves that we once ruled

THE famous "Britannia, rule the waves" lyric from the 18th-century anthem is today no more than an oxymoron.

- JAMES KNUCKEY

The Royal Navy's power has declined to an alarming level following years of repeated cuts by successive governments.

The events of the past week have only underlined this further, but the truth is, the writing has been on the wall for some time.

The Navy, as one former chief recently told me, is likely at its weakest in 60 years. On Monday, our last remaining ship in the Gulf docked at Portsmouth naval base after arriving in UK waters from Bahrain on a heavy-lift vessel.

Sailors on board HMS Middleton would have likely given a wave to the crew of HMS Dragon, which still has not left Portsmouth for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Raging

Type 45 destroyer Dragon - which will help protect personnel stationed in Cyprus after an RAF base was struck by a drone - likely won't arrive in the region until next week, long after the allied vessels that rushed to Cyprus's aid. The debacle sparked fury and raised serious questions of UK readiness.