It ended its career on Tuesday by taking part in the international fleet review off Portsmouth which formed the centrepiece of events to mark the anniversary of the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar.

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Equally though it should be apparent that the world is less stable than it was, say at the time of that 1977 fleet review, and that the ability of the UK or the Western family of nations more widely, to shape world events is sharply diminished.

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Ford had loaned me a C-Max Energi from its fleet of press review cars.

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The Qingdao review did include an interesting addition to China's fleet, a Yuzhao-class amphibious-assault ship, which could be used to dispatch troops and helicopters over long distances.

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During a debate on the defence review on 12 November 2010, former defence chief Lord Guthrie said the small surface fleet of 19 frigates and destroyers would not be enough "to meet the many worldwide tasks and to escort for carriers".

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The fleet flagship is being axed after 25 years' service as part of the Government's defence review.

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Mr Ainsworth said the MoD had already implemented measures to improve safety and airworthiness of the Nimrod fleet, insisting the department had not been "idle" while Mr Haddon-Cave's review was being carried out.

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