via John Currin (JC – Ex RNZN) – Google+ Public Posts http://ift.tt/1GRv37i
Duncan dares to take on all comers as she sails on maiden deployment
by rnn@codestorm.co.uk(Royal Navy News) via Royal Navy News
Pictures: LA(Phot) Luron Wright and Jay Allen, FRPU East FAIR winds, Godspeed and good luck to the men and women of Britain’s newest warship, HMS Duncan, who today took their ship out on operational patrol for the first time. It will be approaching Christmas when the sixth and final Type 45 destroyer sees her native Portsmouth again, having left this morning to begin a nine-month tour of duty in the Gulf. Eighteen months after being commissioned and following some intensive training and trials, culminating in a successful launch of her main armament – her Sea Viper air defence missile – off Scotland last autumn. Air defence is exactly the mission the ship will be asked to perform – as well as other duties – in support of the wider mission of the UK and her allies east of Suez; her sister HMS Dauntless is currently assigned to the carrier battle group of the USS Carl Vinson which is conducting air strikes against ISIS. As well as Sea Viper, Duncan is also armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles – fitted as part of an upgrade of two thirds of the Type 45 flotilla – and a Lynx Mk8 courtesy of 815 Naval Air Squadron. “This is my first deployment in the Royal Navy,” said AB(WS) Ashley Stroud. “We’re going for nine months which is a long time to be away from family and friends but I’m still excited to be representing the UK to other countries.” In addition to the principal mission in the Gulf, Duncan – named after the Scottish admiral who decisively defeated the Dutch at Camperdown in 1797 – the ship will be training and working with Britain’s allies in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, and weigh into the ongoing effort against piracy, smuggling and terrorism alongside other nations. “All the engineering work and successful operational training means that HMS Duncan is now the world’s most advanced air defence warship and is ready to play a key role in defending international trade, freedoms and Britain’s interests,” said Cdr Rich Atkinson, Duncan’s CO. “I am immensely proud of the achievements of my ship’s company over the last 12 months. “HMS Duncan is ready in all respects to undertake any and all missions that she may be tasked to undertake ranging from counter piracy and disaster relief to defence engagement and high-intensity conflict.”
by rnn@codestorm.co.uk(Royal Navy News) via Royal Navy News
Pictures: LA(Phot) Luron Wright and Jay Allen, FRPU East FAIR winds, Godspeed and good luck to the men and women of Britain’s newest warship, HMS Duncan, who today took their ship out on operational patrol for the first time. It will be approaching Christmas when the sixth and final Type 45 destroyer sees her native Portsmouth again, having left this morning to begin a nine-month tour of duty in the Gulf. Eighteen months after being commissioned and following some intensive training and trials, culminating in a successful launch of her main armament – her Sea Viper air defence missile – off Scotland last autumn. Air defence is exactly the mission the ship will be asked to perform – as well as other duties – in support of the wider mission of the UK and her allies east of Suez; her sister HMS Dauntless is currently assigned to the carrier battle group of the USS Carl Vinson which is conducting air strikes against ISIS. As well as Sea Viper, Duncan is also armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles – fitted as part of an upgrade of two thirds of the Type 45 flotilla – and a Lynx Mk8 courtesy of 815 Naval Air Squadron. “This is my first deployment in the Royal Navy,” said AB(WS) Ashley Stroud. “We’re going for nine months which is a long time to be away from family and friends but I’m still excited to be representing the UK to other countries.” In addition to the principal mission in the Gulf, Duncan – named after the Scottish admiral who decisively defeated the Dutch at Camperdown in 1797 – the ship will be training and working with Britain’s allies in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, and weigh into the ongoing effort against piracy, smuggling and terrorism alongside other nations. “All the engineering work and successful operational training means that HMS Duncan is now the world’s most advanced air defence warship and is ready to play a key role in defending international trade, freedoms and Britain’s interests,” said Cdr Rich Atkinson, Duncan’s CO. “I am immensely proud of the achievements of my ship’s company over the last 12 months. “HMS Duncan is ready in all respects to undertake any and all missions that she may be tasked to undertake ranging from counter piracy and disaster relief to defence engagement and high-intensity conflict.”
Discover more from JC's Royal New Zealand Navy, World Navies, Military News, Lighthouses and other Marine News-
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.