One of our Destroyers - HMS DARING.

The first of the Royal Navy’s new formidable Type 45 destroyers - HMS Daring – left Portsmouth on Wednesday 11 January 2012 for her planned maiden operational deployment East of Suez.

HMS Daring will continue the Royal Navy’s long-term presence East of Suez as she leaves her home port for a seven-month deployment, ready to replace a frigate currently on station. The ship will be acting as part of the Royal Navy’s standing commitment in the Middle East, providing a range of capabilities from counter piracy to reassurance of the UK’s allies in the region. The area of operations is huge, covering the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Gulf.

The ship’s build-up to the deployment has been extensive, having been thoroughly trained and assessed for every eventuality by the world’s premier naval training organisation, Flag Officer Sea Training. This culminated in November 2011 when she passed an intensive eight-week operational sea training package.

Her Commanding Officer Captain Guy Robinson said he was looking forward to the challenges the deployment has to offer. He said: “Although this is very much a routine deployment, we must recognise that as first of class, it marks a significant milestone for the Type 45 Destroyer and the Royal Navy. “The ship’s company, and everyone who supports us ashore, have worked tirelessly over the last year to reach this point. We are now very much looking forward to the deployment where we can contribute to maritime security in the region as well as demonstrating Daring’s broad capabilities to our allies. This first operational deployment for Type 45 will present many challenges for my team but we are confident that our recent training has fully prepared us.”

(Picture Crown Copyright - by LA(Phot) Allen)