HMS Dragon has returned home from the WESTLANT19 deployment.

The vessel sailed with aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Northumberland and RFA Tideforce.

The MoD say that the WESTLANT19 deployment aimed at ‘end-to-end’ testing of the aircraft and personnel to ensure the aircraft are compatible with the carrier and that UK assets have experience in escorting and working with aircraft carriers when deployment.

HMS Dragon is the fourth Type 45 Destroyers built for the Royal Navy. The ship was launched in November 2008 and commissioned on 20 April 2012.

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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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Matt
Matt
4 years ago

Welcome back HMS Dragon. Job well done. Get some well deserved R&R.
Anyone know when HMS Queen Elizabeth will be returning into Portsmouth?
M@

Mark B
Mark B
4 years ago
Reply to  Matt

This week

The Big Man
The Big Man
4 years ago
Reply to  Mark B

Yes. The QEC Twitter page says they are on their way. Will be quite a sight next to the PoW.
Popped down to Gosport the other day for a look.

Matt
Matt
4 years ago
Reply to  The Big Man

Cheers guys, I shall refer to Twitter for more updates!
M@

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
4 years ago

Why does she carry the Dragon symbol?

What was the reasoning for allowing it, and is this unique in the history of the RN?

David Barry
David Barry
4 years ago

Represents Wales, as to history, look at the fair maidens on the front of Nelson’s naval tie 🙂

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
4 years ago
Reply to  David Barry

Maybe I need to reword my question.

Yes, I know it represents Wales. Why has it happened with this ship and not say any other vessel associated with anywhere else?

Will HMS London have Tower Bridge on it, for example!

Matt
Matt
4 years ago

Hi Daniele,
Not sure how reputable the source is but here’s a plausible explanation…
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/welsh-dragon-returns-bows-cardiff-11351214
M@

Spyinthesky
Spyinthesky
4 years ago
Reply to  Matt

It’s one of those things that clearly takes on a whole momentum of its own I would say, without any specific decision or plan. Obviously the foundation is the decision somewhere and by someone to emphasise initially the bond to Wales (which must feel pretty left out with the navy) during the building and naming process of the ship so as to create a close association. But one presumes there was no original plan to make it permanent just having built that close association beyond expectation and establishing the sense it’s an integral part of the ship you get a… Read more »

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
4 years ago
Reply to  Matt

Interesting Matt.
Thank you.

Ron
Ron
4 years ago

I suppose you could say its a figurehead, as a taff I am proud that she carries this on her bow. What I would really love to see is the carrier group PoW, Cardiff and Dragon, all that would be missing is the black flag to be hoisted on one of them, but that is for Monmouth. Carrier Group Wales, anyone, small country big hitting.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
4 years ago
Reply to  Ron

I think that would be fabulous.

whlgrubber
whlgrubber
4 years ago

banksy been at work?

Spyinthesky
Spyinthesky
4 years ago
Reply to  Ron

Geez for a moment there I thought you meant the ISIS one. That’s a relief it’s Monmouth.

C Jones
C Jones
4 years ago

It’s a bit of a sop to us meddlesome Welsh I’m afraid. At the time of construction, Dragon was the only ship associated with Wales so the builders slapped a dragon on the bows. Following a refit in 2011 the dragons were removed but a fundraising effort saw them reinstated in 2015.

I kinda like them, and if there were other adornments that suited the other members of the daring class, I’d be happy to see more of them. Adds a bit of colour to an otherwise (purposely) bland colour scheme.

Cam
Cam
4 years ago

They painted over the Dragon when she was last in maintenance but a campaign to fund it being put back was successful and it went back on. Let’s get a land Rover defender on HMS defender and a diamond on HMS Diamond lol

davetrousers
davetrousers
4 years ago
Reply to  Cam

I’d rather a picture of Stuart Pearce on HMS Defender

David Barry
David Barry
4 years ago

…time… (Riga has VERY potholed roads)

Rfn_Weston
Rfn_Weston
4 years ago

Aren’t they such beautiful ships… From the stern I think they look outstanding. The contrasting black masts and their angular shape makes them look particularly menacing!

Helions
Helions
4 years ago
Reply to  Rfn_Weston

They are pretty ships but as to menacing… Now THIS was menacing.

https://mjwrightnz.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/vanguard-may-1949.jpg?w=748

Cheers!

Nick C
Nick C
4 years ago
Reply to  Helions

My Dad was on board when that photo was taken, as a very junior WE officer. He reckoned that when she fired 4 guns at a time bits would be shaken off the deck head. What it must have been like firing a full broadside goodness knows.

Helions
Helions
4 years ago
Reply to  Nick C

I’m told it’s beyond deafening if you’re at station above decks. My Father was partially deaf in left ear till the end of his days because his AMTRACK was circling partially under the guns of the USS Texas firing shore bombardment during the invasion of Okinawa. He told me it was a huge relief for them to get on with the landing and face the Japanese rather than face the concussions from those guns. The Old Girl is still around though… Too bad the Vanguard isn’t… Lots of memories.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Battleship_Texas_-_exterior_-_DSCN0072.JPG/450px-Battleship_Texas_-_exterior_-_DSCN0072.JPG

Cheers!

Spyinthesky
Spyinthesky
4 years ago
Reply to  Helions

HMS Vanguard the very last of the big boys, a beautiful ship indeed.

Ron
Ron
4 years ago
Reply to  Spyinthesky

Totally agree, last of the dreadnoughts and elegant to look at only a pity the British Government was so short sighted and did not keep her for longer or make her a museum ship.

Cam
Cam
4 years ago

It’s so hard to believe we only have 6 destroyers and 13 frigates these days!! Shameful Numbers for the once mighty Royal Navy. I remember an old Royal Navy Ww2 vet being amazed that we don’t have cruisers these days either he couldn’t believe it!.

Spyinthesky
Spyinthesky
4 years ago
Reply to  Cam

To be fare destroyers these days are close to the size of cruisers certainly nothing like the destroyers I picture from wartime or post war. Ships the size of cruisers beyond these present destroyers, unless they are absolutely gold standard (which we certainly can’t afford) would be a liability and a juicy target with little added specfic ability just a more all round capability due to extra space. The days when the bigger the ship the bigger the punch it could deliver started to go out with those big guns so the philosophy of naval design has very much changed… Read more »

Ron
Ron
4 years ago
Reply to  Spyinthesky

True, but I still wonder how well a modern missile would do against 12-14 inchies of armoured sides and 6-8 inchies of armoured deck plus all the internal armoured protection. Then when the enemy mast over the horizon would a modern destroyer withstand 8 15 inch radar controlled guns? Something tells me that come within 20-25 km against HMS Vangaurd BB a modern warship is in deep doo doo.

Nigel Collins
Nigel Collins
4 years ago
Reply to  Ron

Russian ASM’s have 1000 kg warheads, not sure if that would cause significant damage to a WWll BS. I think the crew would no they’d been hit!

DaveyB
DaveyB
4 years ago
Reply to  Nigel Collins

The nearest comparison would when HMS Warspite was bombed off Salerno supporting the Sicily invasion. She was hit by a Fritz X radio control glider bomb. She was hit and the bomb passed through a number of decks before exploding in the boiler room. The explosion also caused a large hole to be blown out of her double bottom. She also had a near miss from a second bomb that damaged her torpedo bulge and blew a hole in the side. Thankfully she survived and after repairs went on to support the Normandy landings. However, this damage was done with… Read more »

Helions
Helions
4 years ago
Reply to  DaveyB
Nigel Collins
Nigel Collins
4 years ago

Welcome back indeed and hopefully to a newly elected government that will provide the RN with latest anti-ship missiles and much more besides!

Nick C
Nick C
4 years ago
Reply to  Nigel Collins

I do like an optimist!! I am afraid I am not holding my breath on any of them doing anything other than kick the problem cans down the road.

Nigel Collins
Nigel Collins
4 years ago
Reply to  Nick C

Probably true Nick C, but we live in hope!
I wonder what will come out of the NATO summit?

Nick C
Nick C
4 years ago
Reply to  Nigel Collins

Trump going back West and making a prat of himself as usual, Erdogan going back to Russia and buying more S400’s and all the rest of them flapping like wet hens and saying how well it all went.
But don’t worry, it will all be tickety boo when that nice Mr Corbyn takes over, after all a man who makes his own jam and has an allotment is really who we want on the world stage!

Robert1
Robert1
4 years ago
Reply to  Nick C

You’re quite right much better a serial cheat who can’t tell the truth to his wives or family than a man who makes jam and has a garden.

Disagree with Corbyns policies all you want but saying he’s unfit for the world stage because he makes jam is just bizarre. If we’re judging hobbies Johnsons alleged bus painting is far stranger than having a garden…

Herodotus
4 years ago
Reply to  Nick C

Since when does having an allotment and the ability to make Jam make you unfit for office. You have some odd values!

Nick C
Nick C
4 years ago
Reply to  Herodotus

My reply to Robert above has not yet posted, sorry. I was intending to be ironic, but appear to have missed the target. ( which in my chequered gunnery career happened rather often) The fact is that Corbyn’s world view is very strange, at least to me, and I very much hope he gets nowhere near the levers of power. That said, I am no fan of any of the other parties and policies on offer, and as a lifelong Conservative at present I am at a complete loss as to how I may vote next week. Assuming the ghastly… Read more »