WRNS veterans given a tour of HMS Dauntless in Portsmouth

VETERANS from the Women's Royal Naval Service were given an exclusive tour of one of Britain's most powerful warships.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Mar 2017, 05:00 BST
Updated 24th Mar 2017, 10:44 BST
Veterans of the Women's Royal Naval Service, families of veterans and serving sailors on board HMS DauntlessVeterans of the Women's Royal Naval Service, families of veterans and serving sailors on board HMS Dauntless
Veterans of the Women's Royal Naval Service, families of veterans and serving sailors on board HMS Dauntless

The women and their families visited air defence destroyer HMS Dauntless in Portsmouth as part of the centenary celebrations of the WRNS.

Guests were escorted on board the Type 45 destroyer by women serving in the Senior Service and met the ship’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander James Fickling.

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HMS Dauntless, which has been a training ship for the past year, holds a special place in the hearts of all women who served in the WRNS.

The ship carries forward the name of the former WRNS training establishment, HMS Dauntless in Burghfield, near Reading, which was decommissioned in 1981, when all initial naval training transferred to HMS Raleigh in Torpoint.

Women were fully integrated into the Royal Navy in 1993.

A display by the National Museum of the Royal Navy, called Pioneers to Professionals – Women and the Navy, chronicles the WRNS history.

Related topics:VeteransPortsmouthBritain