A cacophony of issues has meant the first of the Type 45 destroyers has spent more time in the base than out at sea

The ‘phoenix ship’ of the Royal Navy which has been left ‘dormant for too long’ will be back at sea soon.

Forces News reports that HMS Daring, a Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer, is expected to be out on operations again within the next six months. First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins was positive about the direction of the ship, which has spent more than nine years on the side-lines.

First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins believes HMS Daring will return to sea within the next six months. | Royal Navy

placeholder image — First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins believes HMS Daring will return to sea within the next six months. | Royal Navy

“It’s definitely a good news story,” he told the armed forces publication. “What has struck me is how hard everyone is working to get her to sea. They all have the bit between their teeth.

“Most people join the Royal Navy to go to sea – it's kind of in the job title. So sailors want to be on these ships and operating them. They see what we've done with HMS Dragon recently and her deployment out to the Gulf. She's on operations right now. You talk to the sailors on board HMS Daring and they want some of the same.”

Years of stalled progress

HMS Daring is the first of the six Daring-class air defence destroyers. Despite being the first of the breed, she has spent more time stuck on the side-lines than being on the water - undergoing more than 3,300 days of refits and mechanical work. The ship was originally laid down in March 2003 and launched in February 2006. A greater number of days have been spent modifying and altering the warship than it took to construct her.

Much of this has been the Power Improvement Project (PIP) upgrades. They focus on fixing the propulsion issues which plague the Daring-class destroyers. Design flaw in the Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbine intercooler unit has been causing power issues on all six vessels. Brand new engines are being installed on all the ships, and it’s hoped they’ll all be modified by 2028.

HMS Daring was originally removed from service in April 2017 pending a refit. The Covid-19 pandemic caused various delays and she was taken to the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside. This was done for PIP upgrades and modernisation work. This was completed in late 2022 and she returned to Portsmouth in early 2023. She remains in the final phase of trials and ongoing regeneration work - unavailable for operations.

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First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins. | MoD Crown Copyright

Finally turning a corner

The destroyer was passed to the ship’s company earlier this year. The First Sea Lord said the HMS Daring is having her ops room upgraded, and s the second of the Type 45s to get the new integrated system which makes software updates easier. He believes the scale of investment being put into the fleet has not been seen for 30 years, and HMS Daring’s recovery is testament to that.

Sir Gwyn said: “This is the phoenix ship. This is the ship that was dormant for too long [that] is now getting back to sea, is now a home for sailors, is now going to go on operations. If we're ready for warfighting, we can genuinely establish deterrence.

“We need to prove that we can fight and win in order to avoid the war we don't want to have to fight. What's really impressed me with the Royal Navy [after] one year in command is how well everybody has responded to that. And you could see it on this ship. You can see it across the Navy.”