In pictures: ships facing the axe

1 of 6 Previously involved in counter drugs operations, HMS Newcastle is nicknamed the Geordie Gunboat; she was launched in 1975.

2 of 6 HMS Glasgow is said to be the luckiest ship, after an Argentinian bomb in the Falklands conflict passed though its hull without exploding.

3 of 6 HMS Cardiff also saw action in the Falklands - its motto is 'keen in emergency'.

4 of 6 This year, HMS Norfolk helped rescue 11 Iraqi fishermen who had survived days at sea after their vessel broke down.

5 of 6 HMS Marlborough's motto is 'he goes to war'. The ship has seen action in Iraq and rescued men from Aceh, Indonesia, found clinging to a boat near the Malacca Straits.

6 of 6 HMS Grafton has guarded two key oil wells off the coast of Iraq - the Al Bakra and Khawr al Amaya - which produce 90% of the country's oil.