With high-speed pair skaters catching the eye at the Winter Olympics, the Royal Navy has sent its two newest and most advanced warships, the Type 45 air defence destroyers, HMS Daring Dauntless to sea to perform together for the first time, in high speed side-by-side manoeuvres – successfully.
They were simulating the depfence of a high-value warship and during the exercise they also tested their communications systems.
This was all in preparation for the intensive operational sea training to take place later this year.
HMS Daring was commissioned into the Royal Navy in July 2009 and is due to enter service formally before the end of the year. Dauntless is to be commissioned in June 2010 and is expected to enter operational service sometime in 2011.
Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, Commander in Chief Fleet, was on Dauntless to observe the exercise and said: ‘I’m really positive about these ships. I have seen them from the very beginning, through the design and planning to the trials.
‘It is very much like watching the children growing up. They have been great kids and now they are growing up to be great adults.’
The Portsmouth-based ships will carry on working in tandem for two more days and will then split, continuing their respective trials programmes.
The success and the reception of the capability of the Type 45 or Daring Class destroyers is a testimonial to the work done at the yards in the Clyde in building and finishing these very modern ships.
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