Only two of the Navy’s leading battleships are currently operational with two thirds of the vessels currently languishing in the repair yard, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has admitted.

It comes as the size of the Navy’s surface fleet of destroyers and frigates reached a historic low despite increasing conflict across the globe.

Of the six state-of-the-art Type 45 destroyer ships currently in the Navy’s surface fleet, four are currently in the refit yard at Portsmouth. The ships are undergoing a programme of improvements.

One of the six, HMS Daring, has spent more time in the refit yard than at sea since it was commissioned 12 years ago.

And of the eight Type-23 frigates – smaller ships a class below the destroyers – only six are currently operational, according to the MoD.