Royal Navy warship leaves Portsmouth to protect vital UK trade routes
HMS Duncan is relieving HMS Diamond, which shot down nine drones and one missile during the course of its deployment.
Royal Navy warship HMS Duncan is heading for the Red Sea where it will offer protection for UK ships as they travel along hazardous shipping lanes.
The Type 45 destroyer, which set sail from Portsmouth today, will relieve sister ship HMS Diamond, which has shielding vessels from Houthi attacks since before Christmas.
Like Diamond, HMS Duncan is armed with the Sea Viper missile system and equipped with the same radar systems, enabling it to detect threats from long distances.
Commanding Officer, Commander Dan Lee, said: “I am immensely proud of the work the ship’s company have done to ready HMS Duncan for this important deployment.
“HMS Duncan will be ready to deliver on operations around the clock as we join efforts to protect trade routes from Houthi attacks, continuing the excellent work of HMS Diamond and HMS Richmond in the region."
He added: “We have spent the past week readying the ship and saying our farewells to our families and loved ones who turned out to wave us off from Round Tower in Portsmouth.
“It is a privilege to serve on the Royal Navy’s ‘last and best’ Type 45 destroyer and I have every confidence that the ship and our people will succeed on operations and support stability where tasked.”
During the course of her deployment, HMS Diamond shot down nine drones and one missile, launched by Houthis from the coast of Yemen at cargo ships.
HMS Duncan’s 200 men and women have worked to ensure that their ship is ready to deploy, successfully completing trials and training last week in preparation for the deployment, which will see the ship work to ensure freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for merchant vessels.
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Warship @HMSDuncan deployed from Portsmouth today to protect vital trade routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. She is set to relieve sister ship @hmsdiamond, which has been performing the same task since before Christmas.
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) May 27, 2024
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HMS Duncan spent five months leading NATO’s premier task group in the Mediterranean Sea last year, prior to handing over flagship duties to the Italian Navy in December.
The ship is now ready for more operations, with more than 60 new members joining the ship’s company.
A missile splashed down in the waters of the Red Sea last Thursday (May 24), but caused no damage to a passing commercial vessel.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, although it can take hours or even days for them to acknowledge their assaults.
The attack happened in the southern Red Sea near the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait, theUnited Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said.
The private security firm Ambrey similarly reported the attack.
The Houthis have launched attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in recent months, demanding that Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians there.
The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the United States Maritime Administration.
Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
