For Argyll

In a recent item on a fun website where you can watch current shipping movements in UK waters we mentioned seeing the Daring, a Type 45 Destroyer, dashing around the Isle of Arran and the Kyles of Bute performing manoevres that would look good in a gymnast’s floor exercise routine. Now we know why. Clydebuilt, she’s on her last set of sea trials before the Navy take formal ownership of her in December.

Today we saw her do several 180 degree turns in four minutes each and on one eye-popping occasion, she turned through 360 degrees in the same time. Survey ship, HMS Enterprise turned up, having sailed overnight from the Belfast area and up Kilbrannan Sound. The two ships were together for a while this afternoon off Arran’s north east coast before Daring did another of her fast 180 degree turns north and Enterprise went in to anchor in Brodick bay.

Interestingly, Daring has already been involved in a sea rescue, On 28th August a 33ft Irish trawler, the Paloma, issued a distress call. Daring picked this up, stopped her trials and arrived with the stricken fishing boat sixteen minutes later. The Paloma was taking on water at what is described as ‘an alarming rate’.

Daring launched her own fast inflatable boat and crew boarded Paloma to help her two crewmen. Although the water was already up to the level of the engine room plates, the engineer with the Daring judged the boat able to regain her stability with the water pumped out.

Lifeboats from Arran and Troon arrived shortly and escorted Paloma safely back to the Ayrshire coast.