Destroyer returns home after first deployment

02 August 2012

First-in-class Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring has returned to the UK following the completion of a six-month deployment in the Middle East.

Daring was the first Type 45 to be deployed on operations, and the deployment is said to be helping smooth the process for the remaining Type 45s.

The ship was deployed to assist in tasks ranging from counter-piracy to the wider maritime security effort for stability in the Middle East.

HMS Daring also worked with the United States Navy on a number of joint initiatives, including integrating with USS Abraham Lincoln to check aircraft in and out in order to support troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

Commanding officer Captain Guy Robinson said: "This has been a most rewarding deployment where we have been able to explore Daring's capability in the challenging conditions of the Gulf.

"Unsurprisingly, there has been a lot of interest in the ship, particularly from the other navies we have worked with," he said. "We have hosted a large number of visitors throughout the last six months and we have done much to raise the profile of the Type 45 and the Royal Navy."

Daring represented the UK as the first Type 45 to visit Bahrain, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.