HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, had been out of action for a year while undergoing a major refit and upgrade. She is now due for sea trials.
According to the Royal Navy:
“Dragon was rededicated in a ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base in front of hundreds of guests including friends and families and members of the ship’s affiliate organisations.
Improvements to the ship – carried out by BAE Systems – have included upgrades to weapons, IT, communications and marine engineering systems. Her huge rudders have also been overhauled.
Dragon also has a fresh coat of paint and her popular 12-ft tall decorative red Welsh dragons on her bow have been given a facelift.”
Her Commanding Officer Captain Craig Wood said:
“An upgraded and more capable HMS Dragon has emerged from the upkeep period – the result of a tremendous amount of work from across the Portsmouth enterprise.
My sailors and I are rightfully proud of her return to the fleet and welcomed the opportunity to celebrate this fantastic occasion with Dragon’s sponsor, Mrs Boissier, our families and friends.”
The National Audit Office reported that, during an “intensive attack”, a single Type 45 could simultaneously track, engage and destroy more targets than five Type 42 destroyers operating together.
After the launch of Daring on 1 February 2006 Admiral Sir Alan West, a former First Sea Lord, stated that it would be the Royal Navy’s most capable destroyer ever, as well as the world’s best air-defence ship. The reduction in the number to be procured from twelve, then to eight and eventually down to six (in 2008) was controversial.
Dragon will now undergo a series of intensive sea trials in UK waters to prepare for her third overseas deployment.
returning to the ever present subject of trident and the successor class to be the next generation of’bombers’, we’vegot 19 nuclear submarines laid up can any of those be rebuilt/fitted out to carry trident? i’m not a ship designer or ex submariner, but the news that the R.N. has 19 submarines laid up in devonport or rosyth makes you wonder why?
a good read
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/33686/20120503JCN112_Black_SwanU.pdf
Does that mean her GT is fixed, or is that still outstanding?
Hopefully fixed
Just doing some further reading, and it seems the intercooler problem with the GTs isn’t fixed yet.
“the WR-21 engines will have to be supplemented by one or two additional diesel generators, fitted by cutting open the hull in dry dock”
I cant wait for these ships to be fully sea worthy .. theyll be fantastic … coukd do eith some more though
Fingers crossed that Type 26 will be good enough to at least partially supplement the Type 45 in air defence roles, while being vastly more flexible in terms of the roles they can do.
For a Destroyer so called couldnt fight it way out of wet paper bag 8000 tons ship no TLAM she should have come out of Refit fitted with Storm Shadow at least. Thought these ships where getting Mk 41 for SM-3 These ships are turning out to be a complete waste of time and money cannot operate in warm water no land attack role seems that they atre turning out to be a White Elephant for the UK
Here, we have a typical BAE Type-45 Engine repair kit…
What a good job that we didn’t build 12 as originally planned. We really cannot afford to experiment with main propulsion systems. Do we never learn from warship design history?