HMS Daring (D32) is currently deployed to the Persian Gulf and the latest news is HMS Dauntless (D33) will be headed south to the Falkland Islands to relieve HMS Montrose. She was still at Plymouth last week when the below photo was taken.
As a seagoing mariner around the coast of the UK and Northern Europe you come across a few of these grey funnel ships from time to time, however these D-Class jobs are quite the picture of a modern fighting ship, menacing and sleek. Probably sent off to parts foreign to quieten down the sabre-rattling of the Argentinians and chase a few pirates in the Persian Gulf, while keeping an eye on the Straits of Hormuz no doubt. I don’t know if the RN might be stretching themselves a bit thin across the globe, but one of these boys is supposedly worth 5 of the old Type-42’s.
A third D-Class called Diamond is due to be commissioned this summer in time for Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee celebrations. I’ve heard whispers from the London pilots on the Thames that it will be too big to get up to the party. There might be a few red faces if it doesn’t make it up the river. Time will tell.
Have a good watch!
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