HMS Daring is the lead ship of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy, and the seventh ship to hold that name. She was launched in 2006 on the Clyde and conducted contractor's sea trials during 2007 and 2008. She was handed over to the Royal Navy in December 2008, entered her base port of Portsmouth for the first time in January 2009 and was formally commissioned on 23 July 2009. As the lead ship of the first destroyer class built for the Royal Navy since the Type 42 in the 1970s, she has attracted significant media and public attention. Her name, crest and motto are a reference to the Roman youth Gaius Mucius Scaevola, famed for his bravery.[33]

HMS Daring in 2012
HMS Daring in 2012
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Daring
Ordered20 December 2000[1]
BuilderBAE Systems Naval Ships
Yard number1061[2]
Laid down28 March 2003
Launched1 February 2006
Sponsored byThe Duchess of Edinburgh
Commissioned23 July 2009[3]
HomeportHMNB Portsmouth
Identification
Motto
  • Splendide audax
  • ("Finely Daring")
StatusUndergoing Upkeep at HM Naval Base Portsmouth
Badge
  • On a Field Black, an arm and a hand in a cresset of fire all Proper
General characteristics
Class and typeType 45 Guided missile destroyer
Displacement8,500[6] to 9,200 t (9,100 long tons; 10,100 short tons)[7][8][9]
Length152.4 m (500 ft 0 in)
Beam21.2 m (69 ft 7 in)
Draught7.4 m (24 ft 3 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
SpeedIn excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)[10]
RangeIn excess of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h)[10]
Complement191[11] (accommodation for up to 235)
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried
Aviation facilities
  • Large flight deck
  • Enclosed hangar

Construction

edit

Daring's construction began at the BAE Systems Naval Ships yard (now BAE Systems Surface Ships) at Scotstoun on the River Clyde in March 2003.[34] The ship was launched at 14.21 GMT on 1 February 2006. The Countess of Wessex (now Duchess of Edinburgh) was the ship's sponsor at her launch.[35] On 16 November 2006, the Countess of Wessex brought Daring to life on her first official visit. On 17 November 2006, the countess switched on the ship's diesel generators, part of the 'powering up' ceremony. [36]

Sea trials

edit

On 18 July 2007 Daring sailed on the first set of sea trials (Stage 1.1),[37] successfully completing them four weeks later on 14 August 2007.[38] As she is the first in the class some structural areas needed to be tested, including the loads that the main 4.5-inch Mark 8 naval gun puts on the ship.[39] During these trials, Daring reached her design speed of 29 knots (54 km/h) in 70 seconds and achieved a speed of 31.5 knots (58 km/h) in 120 seconds.[40] She sailed for Stage 1.2 on 30 March 2008 and returned on 2 May. Stage 1.2 included trials on the Long Range Radar and navigation system, medium calibre gun blast trials, weapon alignment tests and endurance tests.[41] Stage 1.3 trials were conducted between 26 August[42] and 22 September 2008[43] and emphasis was placed on testing the full range of communications equipment. The ship's company used the opportunity to conduct familiarisation and training activities in preparation for the transfer of the vessel to the Royal Navy in December 2008.[44] Stage 2 trials took place in 2009, once the ship had been handed over to the Royal Navy.[45][46] HMS Daring arrived in her home port of Portsmouth on 28 January 2009[47] to large crowds along the seafront.[48] She was given the honour of a flypast to coincide with her passing of the Round Tower, just outside Portsmouth.[49]

Operational service

edit
 
Daring arrives in Gibraltar in 2016, escorted by HMS Scimitar
 
Visiting Gibraltar in 2016
 
Visiting Tokyo, Japan in 2013

Daring was formally commissioned on 23 July 2009 with The Countess of Wessex inspecting an honour guard on the quayside, and reception. The commissioning cake was cut by the wife of the commanding officer and Able Seaman Daniel Small, who was the youngest member of the ship's company.[3] Daring was declared officially "in service" one year later, on 31 July 2010.[50]

Daring fired her first Sea Viper missile in May 2011 during a test launch in the Outer Hebrides, after years of trials.[51] During the same year she was equipped with two Phalanx CIWS mounted on either side of the superstructure.[52]

On 6 January 2012, the Royal Navy announced that Daring would leave Portsmouth on 11 January 2012 to undertake her first mission, a deployment to the Persian Gulf. Daring travelled through the Suez Canal on 2 February 2012, then continued on to the Persian Gulf, relieving the Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll that was on station there.[53][54] In February 2012, as part of the Persian Gulf deployment, Daring joined Operation Scimitar Anzac, an anti-piracy operation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This international operation included the Royal Fleet Auxiliary RFA Wave Knight, the Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Parramatta, and the Pakistan Navy's PNS Babur. Daring acted as the command ship for all the vessels.[55] During operation in the Persian Gulf and North Arabian Sea, Daring operated with the U.S. Navy's Carrier Strike Group One and Carrier Strike Group Nine.[56]

In September 2013, Daring transited the Panama Canal on deployment to the Pacific Ocean. She made port visits to the US Naval Base San Diego,[57] Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam,[58] and the Marshall Islands.[59] While in the Pacific, Daring took part in the Royal Australian Navy's International Fleet Review 2013 at Sydney and also participated in the 2013 Five Power Defence Arrangements exercise, Bersama Lima.[60] During Bersama Lima, Daring was urgently dispatched to the Philippines as part of the British government's humanitarian response to Typhoon Haiyan.[61] Before her return to the United Kingdom, Daring made port visits in Japan,[62] South Korea, China, Vietnam,[63] Thailand and Malaysia.[64]

On 4 July 2016, Daring fired an Aster 30 off the coast of Scotland.[65]

In September 2016 Daring deployed to the Persian Gulf to assist in Operation Inherent Resolve.[citation needed] In April 2017, after being relieved East of Suez by Monmouth, Daring transited the Bosphorus for exercises in the Black Sea with the Romanian Navy.[66]

Daring was laid up, pending a refit, from 2017 to 2020.[67] She began her refit in June 2020[68] and received a visit from her sponsor, the Countess of Wessex, in 2021 to see the progress of the work.[69] On 15 September 2021, Daring left Portsmouth for the first time in four years under tow bound for Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead to allow work to be carried out installing new generators under the Power Improvement Project (PIP).[70][71] PIP installation work was completed by Cammell Laird at the end of 2022 and the ship was returned to Portsmouth in January 2023 to complete refit and regeneration.[72] She is expected to return to the fleet in 2024.[73]

Characteristics

edit

Affiliations

edit

Ship's sponsor

edit

Official affiliations

edit

Notes

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Nicoll, Alexander (21 December 2000). "Vosper suffers blow over destroyer order". Financial Times. London. The MoD yesterday signed a £1.2bn contract with BAE Systems to oversee design and building of the first three destroyers...
  2. ^ "6132473". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  3. ^ a b Mitchell, Ben (24 July 2009). "Daring display for first of the navy's new 45 destroyers". The Scotsman.
  4. ^ "Royal Navy Bridge Card" (PDF). Royal Navy. 27 February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  5. ^ "Ship Index". World Shipping Register. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  6. ^ "Type 45 Destroyer". Royal Navy. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  7. ^ "HMS Daring leaves Sydney after spectacular week of celebrations". Royal Navy. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  8. ^ "For Queen and Country". Navy News. July 2012. p. 8. One hundred or so miles west of the largest city of Abidjan lies the fishing port of Sassandra, too small to accommodate 8,500-tonnes of Type 45.
  9. ^ "HMS Duncan joins US Carrier on strike operations against ISIL". Navy News. Royal Navy. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015. As well as supporting the international effort against the ISIL fundamentalists – the 8,500-tonne warship has also joined the wider security mission in the region.
  10. ^ a b "HMS Daring - Type 45 facts". Royal Navy. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  11. ^ Aquilina, Pauline J.; Michell, Simon, eds. (24 April 2013). "Royal Navy Fleet Guide". A Global Force 2012/13 (PDF). p. 2. ISBN 978-1-906940-75-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2014 – via Newsdesk Media.
  12. ^ "Raytheon Systems Ltd awarded further contract for Integrated Navigation System shipsets for the Type 45" (PDF). Raytheon. 8 March 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  13. ^ "Ultra Electronics Series 2500 electro-optic tracking and fire-control system (United Kingdom)". Jane's Electro-Optic Systems. 28 October 2010. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  14. ^ "Fleet to get the latest in electronic surveillance" (PDF). DESider. Ministry of Defence. September 2012. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2012.
  15. ^ Scott, Richard (29 June 2014). "UK to buy Shaman CESM for Seaseeker SIGINT programme". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014.
  16. ^ "Type 45 Ballistic Missile Defence upgrade to support more than 100 UK jobs". UK Government. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  17. ^ "HMS Defender destroys drone in exercise which paves the way for future of air defence at sea". royalnavy.mod.uk. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Snapshot: The Royal Navy escort fleet in April 2024". Navy Lookout. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  19. ^ "£500m firepower upgrade for Type 45 destroyers". GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers – reaching their full potential with addition of Sea Ceptor missiles". Navy Lookout. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  21. ^ Scott, Richard (19 December 2023). "First NSM fit on RN Type 23 frigate". Janes. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Contenders for the Royal Navy's interim anti-ship missile requirement". navylookout.com. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  23. ^ @NavyLookout (17 March 2023). "@HMSDuncan sails from Portsmouth this afternoon. Has been re-equipped with Harpoon missiles - the first Type 45 to carry SSM for several years" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 March 2023 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "Can the UK supply anti-ship missiles to Ukraine?". 10 April 2022.
  25. ^ Scott, Richard (16 February 2022). "UK confirms cancellation of I-SSGW programme". Janes Information Services. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  26. ^ "Snapshot: The Royal Navy escort fleet in April 2024". Navy Lookout. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  27. ^ "Royal Navy to buy the Naval Strike Missile". Navy Lookout. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Royal Navy ships to be fitted with advanced new missile system". gov.uk. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  29. ^ "The all-rounder – the 30mm Automated Small Calibre Gun in focus". Navy Lookout. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  30. ^ "In focus: the 50 cal heavy machine gun in Royal Navy service". Navy Lookout. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  31. ^ "Royal Navy's Sea Venom light anti-ship missile full operating capability delayed until 2026". Navy Lookout. 21 June 2023.
  32. ^ "Air Defence Destroyer (T45)". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 31 October 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
  33. ^ "HMS Daring (D32)". Royal Navy. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  34. ^ "HMS Daring". Clyde-built Ship Database. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  35. ^ "Thousands cheer on warship launch". BBC News. 1 February 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  36. ^ "Countess of Wessex brings HMS Daring to life". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  37. ^ "HMS Daring sets sail for trials". BBC News. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  38. ^ "New destroyer boosts Navy". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
  39. ^ "Navys latest destroyer takes to the High Seas". Royal Navy. 19 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 August 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  40. ^ MacDermid, Alan (15 August 2007). "Daring is mean, green and built for speed". The Herald. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2007.
  41. ^ "Destroyer HMS Daring, Second Stage Sea Trials". TechNEWS. 5 April 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  42. ^ Bancroft, Al (8 September 2008). "Daring's Final Trials". Jackspeak Blog. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  43. ^ "Defence Diary: 22 September 2008". Defence News. Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  44. ^ "Daring Ready To Take to the Waves". Defence News. Ministry of Defence. 26 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  45. ^ "Gearing Up for T45s Arrival". Fleet Support Limited. 24 September 2007. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  46. ^ "Daring handed to MoD". Defence News. Ministry of Defence. 10 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008.
  47. ^ "HMS Daring makes home port debut". BBC News. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  48. ^ "HMS Daring Live Blog". The News. Portsmouth. Retrieved 26 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
  49. ^ "The dawn of Daring". The News. Portsmouth. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  50. ^ "HMS Daring Sails into Service". Royal Navy. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.[dead link]
  51. ^ "Daring finally shows her bite". Navy News. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  52. ^ "Babcock to Test Phalanx 1B CIWS on HMS Daring". Naval Technology.com. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  53. ^ Harding, Thomas (6 January 2012). "Royal Navy sends its mightiest ship to take on the Iranian show of force in the Gulf". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  54. ^ "Daring makes iconic passage of Suez to begin her deployment in earnest". Navy News. 2 February 2012. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  55. ^ "Daring sweeps troubled waters on her first major operation". Navy News. 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  56. ^ "Daring enjoys 'truly amazing' experience working with American carriers". Royal Navy. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  57. ^ "HMS Daring goes on global deployment". Royal Navy. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  58. ^ Galante, Alexandre (10 July 2013). "HMS Daring visita Pearl Harbor". Poder Naval (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  59. ^ "Daring Down Under as destroyer arrives in Australia for first time". Navy News. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  60. ^ "Daring arrives in Singapore ahead of five nations exercise". Royal Navy. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  61. ^ "UK to send ship to help Philippines, David Cameron announces". BBC News. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  62. ^ "HMS Daring visits Japan". Gov.uk. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  63. ^ "HMS Daring visits Vietnam". Royal Navy. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  64. ^ "HMS Daring pays a visit to Thailand". Royal Navy. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  65. ^ "Missile success is the icing on the cake for Daring's 10th birthday". Royal Navy. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  66. ^ "HMS Daring trains with Romanian allies as Black Sea visit continues". Royal Navy. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  67. ^ @NavyLookout (21 July 2019). "Royal Navy Surface escort fleet snapshot July 2019" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  68. ^ "A return to the old routine for 14 dock | Royal Navy".
  69. ^ Starbuck, Lydia (24 July 2021). "The Countess of Wessex enjoys reunion with old friend last seen four years ago". Royal CEntral. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  70. ^ "Royal Navy warship HMS Daring towed away from Portsmouth for maintenance".
  71. ^ "Billion pound war ship arrives in Merseyside for major works". 20 September 2021.
  72. ^ Bahtić, Fatima (24 January 2023). "Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring completes PIP". Naval Today. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  73. ^ "Snapshot: The Royal Navy escort fleet in April 2024". Navy Lookout. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  74. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "HMS Daring - Affiliations". Royal Navy. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  75. ^ "Military links". Carpenter's Company. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  76. ^ "Affiliation with the Royal Navy's new Destroyer Class". Daring.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 December 2003. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
edit