Graduate in International Politics & Strategic Studies. Dabble in naval history. Frequently distracted by cricket.

England
Joined July 2009
The King George V class were the most modern British battleships of the Second World War. They are perhaps best known for their actions against Bismarck in 1941 and Scharnhorst in 1943, as well as the sinking of Prince of Wales in December 1941. (1/x)
14
27
9
286
Matthew Warwick retweeted
'The Heavyweight Punch' by Geoff Hunt. HMS Victory, HMS Temeraire and HMS Neptune lead the Weather column towards the combined fleet, off Cape Trafalgar, 21 October 1805 [1599 x 1059]
20
108
11
1,080
27,841
Matthew Warwick retweeted
Agree, a para taken from some notes I tapped out last night: "The communications are already troubling. Defence Minister Luke Pollard welcomed her into Devonport today like she was a returning combat veteran. With two ocean-going tugs strapped on amidships and one through the bow because her engines don’t work, this is not a smart tweet. Her decline will have been known about for a long time. Where is the aggressive plan to replace her? Instead, the same tweet gave us a loose reference to how the Defence Investment Plan says she will be replaced. What does that even mean? How about, for once, recognising a gapped requirement in advance, being aggressive in seeking a replacement and then honest in the communications. Who knows, voters might even like that. If we can’t get this right for an ice breaker, what hope is there for genuinely complex systems and ships."
Parody or hacked account?!? The dead ship was towed all the way after a refit in Teesside with seemingly little chance of us seeing it return to service. Talking doesn't deliver replacements, 2.5 year & still waiting for actual orders for MCM motherships, new OPVs, dry docks, etc
15
18
2
125
9,371
Well, this tweet is going well.
Do you want to find the cheapest petrol in Ipswich? Now you can with the Government's Fuel Finder. Partnering with Google, Fuel Finder provides real-time data and displays the prices at each petrol station. Give it a go by searching 'petrol' on Google Maps before you fill up.
1
6
749
The Queen Elizabeth class battleship HMS Barham at the Suez Canal entrance, 1937.
5
36
2
343
5,847
Is he for real? Fuel prices are silly, half of the fuel price is tax, and the best the Prime Minister can do is ask Google to tell me where I can save 1-2p/litre…
I know people are worried about fuel prices. And I get it. You get to the pump, watch the numbers climb, and wonder why it's costing so much more than it used to.   The reality is that global events are pushing up costs, and families here at home are feeling the impact.   But I won't accept that there's nothing I can do to help.   That's why from today, you'll be able to see petrol and diesel prices on Google Maps, compare nearby stations and find the cheapest option before you fill up.   It's a small change, but if there's a practical way to help people keep more money in their pocket, I'll do it.
2
4
28
604
Biggest news of the day!
Replying to @HMSDaring
@HMSDaring hasn't heard this over main broadcast for quite some time... 'Do you hear there. No smoking, no naked lights, fuelling Ship.' ⛽️
19
1,059
Huh, imagine putting your weapons, sensors and crew on the same platform. So old fashioned.
BREAKING 🚨 OCCAR has awarded Orizzonte Sistemi Navali a €3.7B contract for the development, production, and in-service support of the Italian Navy’s next-generation DDX destroyers, set for delivery in 2033 and 2035 🇮🇹 navalnews.com/naval-news/202…
1
13
1,869
One of those brainless soundbites that I bet he thought sounded really good in the mirror this morning. It is, of course, complete nonsense, logically incoherent and morally weak.
🚨 BREAKING: Andy Burnham suggests he won't cut benefits to pay for defence spending "National security cannot come at the expense of social security" #PMQs
1
2
34
888
Merlin was very pleased with his new castle.
14
329
Today's adventure involved dragging my wife and in laws to another grey, floaty thing.
10
11
1
264
6,060
I see @thinkdefence has been shopping again. (Yes this is a very boring car journey.)
2
16
858
Matthew Warwick retweeted
40 seconds of colour footage of the battleship HMS Vanguard leaving Portsmouth for the final time. youtube.com/watch?v=cq-ahulp…
3
34
4
127
Second visit to Chatham dockyard today. Unlike last time, nice not to have to contend with Covid restrictions and by extension be able to go inside the ships!
1
8
3
186
8,126
£12,000/min sounds like a lot, but in 2022/23: Health was £402,000/min Education was £200,000/min Social security was £492,000/min
Next week is the anniversary of Hiroshima. Today, the Prime Minister has announced more investment in weapons of mass destruction. The UK spends £12,000 every minute on nuclear weapons. Imagine if we spent that money on social care, schools and the NHS instead.
1
5
779
Matthew Warwick retweeted
5
104
2,235
Goodbye to HMS Westminster, one of two Type 23s I had the pleasure of visiting, back in those halcyon days of 2019.
5
9
129
12,183
HMS Vanguard, last and largest of the British battleships. She was the first ship ever launched by the Princess Elizabeth, the later Elizabeth II.
25
89
5
1,275
88,619
Who’s playing in English domestic cricket on this fine summers day? “Mumbai Indians London vs Sunrisers Leeds” …
2
405
Suspect it was the "not raising taxes" and "step more lightly on people's lives" pledges, before immediately doing the opposite.
Keir Starmer is in his last week as PM - but where did it all go wrong? @keiranpedley looks at Ipsos trend data to explore the two key stages in Starmer’s political demise with the public 👉 tinyurl.com/3r86b3m8
6
719
Yep. 47% of defence spending between 2026 and 2030 is on salaries, pensions and submarines (plus related costs).
There's a lot of money in the DIP for the nuclear deterrent. It's always important to factor in that when looking at what the UK gets for its defence spend.
1
3
42
3,853