Royal Navy: HMS Dauntless upgraded and recertified ahead of HMS Prince of Wales task and leaving Portsmouth

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A Portsmouth-based warship has been recertified into the fleet and is now operating alongside an aircraft carrier.

HMS Dauntless has been operating in UK waters once again after completing a recertification programme at HMNB Portsmouth. She left her home port on October 14, with loved-ones of the ship’s company gathering at The Round Tower to watch her depart.

The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) arm brought the destroyer up to speed. Their Type 45 project team - alongside experts from BAE Systems and personnel from the ship’s company - installed upgrades on HMS Dauntless to make her fit for exercises and deployments again.

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HMS Dauntless leaving Portsmouth ahead of Exercise Strike Warrior, where she will join up with HMS Prince of Wales and other forces in the North Sea.HMS Dauntless leaving Portsmouth ahead of Exercise Strike Warrior, where she will join up with HMS Prince of Wales and other forces in the North Sea.
HMS Dauntless leaving Portsmouth ahead of Exercise Strike Warrior, where she will join up with HMS Prince of Wales and other forces in the North Sea. | Jake Corben - Jake Maritime Photos

They also completed Lloyds recertification, essential maintenance and OPDEF (Operational defects) rectification. The Daring-class destroyer is now operating alongside HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group in the North Sea. As part of Exercise Strike Warrior, she brings air defence capabilities to the group with Sampson radars and Sea Viper missiles - protecting vessels from aerial threats. HMS Dauntless was recently involved in a bombing run, firing her guns while Paveway bombs were dropped on Garvie Island.

Captain Mike Goodall, Type 45 Team Leader at DE&S, said: “Returning to sea marks the completion of a major support intervention, realising the availability improvement principles of RENOWN and setting a course for the wider Class to follow. The agility demonstrated by the support enterprise to deliver at pace ensures that HMS Dauntless remains on track to meet the demands of CSG25.”

DE&S they are aiming to complete ship recertification and docked maintenance within shorter timeframes, and lessons learned from the HMS Dauntless project will help them achieve that. The UK Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Prince of Wales, is due to be deployed to Japan and the Indo-Pacific region in 2025

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