Billion-pound warship ramps up its training
HMS Defender’s protection role
A SOPHISTICATED £1bn Royal Navy warship is gearing up for her next mission — protecting Britain’s biggest warship ever made.
HMS Defender is ramping up training ahead of joining aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on future carrier strike operations.
The Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer and her 190-strong ship’s company face six weeks of fleet operational sea training before returning to active duty.
The hi-tech warship spent 222 days in the Gulf escorting merchant shipping in the Middle East at the height of the Iranian crisis, returning home in March. During the ship’s latest stint at sea, the crew have been put through their paces, tackling mock fires, sea boat drills, and an air defence exercise.
The 8,500-tonne warship also flexed her muscles by firing nearly all of the her arsenal of weaponry.
Commander Vince Owen, Defender’s captain, said: ‘It has been fantastic to take HMS Defender back to sea after a busy maintenance period following our return in March from seven months deployed in the Middle East.
‘The focus for us has now shifted to preparing for our next deployment and the new challenges and opportunities that will present us. The next step on this exciting journey starts in July as we commence our operational sea training package.
‘This training will provide the perfect opportunity to integrate the new crew members into our team and enhance our maritime skills before we focus on carrier task group training later this year.’ Leading Engineering Technician Danny Holmes said: ‘I am excited to help to train the more junior members of the ship’s company so we can deploy in 2021 as a competent fighting unit.’ LET Stephen Bates said: ‘It’s exciting to finally be onboard and apply the training that I have undergone