Destroyer joins aircraft carrier for Nordic deployment

HMS Duncan has joined HMS Prince of Wales in northern waters as the carrier strike group prepares for NATO Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 tasking, the UK Defence Journal understands.

The destroyer confirmed its arrival via social media, stating the ship was “keeping watch in the northern seas” and providing protection to the carrier as the group readies for future operations. HMS Duncan is the fourth of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 destroyers and had been undergoing maintenance before joining the current deployment.

HMS Prince of Wales departed Scotland earlier, leaving the Glen Mallan jetty in Loch Long after spending the bank holiday weekend loading ammunition and supplies. The carrier is accompanied by RFA Tidespring and will exercise with NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force partners throughout the deployment.

The group is scheduled to conduct Exercise Tamber Shield in the fjords near Bergen, focusing on swarm attack drills involving Wildcat helicopters of 815 Naval Air Squadron, P2000 patrol boats, and Norwegian missile craft. The exercise is designed to develop the tactics required to defend high-value assets against small, fast-manoeuvrable threats in confined waters.

The group will then move to the High North for Dynamic Mongoose, NATO’s primary anti-submarine warfare exercise in Northern Europe, before taking up SNMG1 duties. SNMG1 is one of NATO’s two standing naval forces in the Atlantic, maintained on permanent readiness to respond to crises and conduct exercises with alliance members. Vessels rotate in and out of the group on a rolling basis, with the UK a regular contributor.

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The Type 45 destroyer is the Royal Navy’s primary surface air defence platform, displacing around 8,000 tonnes and stretching 152 metres in length. Each ship is powered by an integrated electric propulsion system drawing on two Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbines, giving a top speed in excess of 30 knots and a range of over 7,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. The class carries a complement of 191, with accommodation for up to 235.

The Type 45’s principal weapon system is the Principal Anti-Air Missile System, which draws on 48 Sylver A50 vertical launch cells capable of firing both Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles, covering targets at ranges from under two kilometres to beyond 100 kilometres. The ship’s sensor suite centres on the SAMPSON multi-function active electronically scanned array radar and the S1850M long-range air surveillance radar, providing simultaneous tracking of hundreds of targets.

For close-in defence the class carries two 20mm Phalanx close-in weapon systems, a 4.5-inch Mark 8 naval gun, and two DS30B 30mm cannons. Each ship can also operate Wildcat or Merlin helicopters from its flight deck and enclosed hangar.