Royal Navy: HMS Dauntless does not sail from Portsmouth for second scheduled time in a row

HMS Dauntless was provisionally scheduled to leave the North Corner Jetty (East) at 4.45pm today, according to the King’s Harbour Master (KHM) shipping movements. The listing was marked as MTBC - “movement to be confirmed”.

At the time of writing (6.08pm), the Type 45 Destroyer has not sailed past The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth. A small number of residents gathered to watch her depart Portsmouth. One schoolboy waiting patiently said: “Why is it always our ships, why can’t it be any other ships?”

The Daring-class warship was originally due to leave Portsmouth on Wednesday afternoon, with the KHM website previously having a listing for 3pm. She failed to sail, with one source telling The News that this was due to “engineering issues”. Another source added that cranes were seen on the destroyer that morning.

A Royal Navy spokesperson previously said: “The Royal Navy continues to fulfil all its commitments. The fleet’s programme remains flexible, undergoing periods of maintenance is routine and vital for a ship’s continued effectiveness.”

HMS Dauntless made a glorious return home in December 2023 after being deployed in the Caribbean during hurricane season. Sailors were at the forefront of disaster relief while also stopping drug traffickers operating in the region. More than £200m of narcotics were seized.