Royal Navy: HMS Dauntless sailing from Portsmouth cancelled due to "engineering issues" - cranes seen on ship

HMS Dauntless was due to leave the city and travel past The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth this afternoon. The Type 45 destroyer was listed on the King’s Harbour Master shipping movements at 3pm, an entry which has since been removed from the website.

A source told The News that her voyage was “cancelled due to engineering issues”. Another source added that cranes were still seen on the vessel this morning.

When asked for clarification, a Royal Navy spokesperson 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. In total, more than £200m of narcotics were confiscated by the ship’s crew.

The vessel intercepted criminals on four occasions and confiscated more than 2,000kg of cocaine in a mission where she travelled 28,000 nautical miles.