HMS Dragon (D35)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Dragon.
HMS Dragon in 2011
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Dragon
Ordered: December 2000
Builder: BVT Surface Fleet
Yard number: 1064[1]
Laid down: 19 December 2005
Launched: 17 November 2008
Sponsored by: Mrs. Susie Boissier
Commissioned: 20 April 2012
Identification:
Motto: "We yield but to St George"
Status: In active service, as of 2014
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Type 45 Guided missile destroyer
Displacement: 8,000[4] to 8,500 t (8,400 long tons; 9,400 short tons)[5][6][7]
Length: 152.4 m (500 ft 0 in)
Beam: 21.2 m (69 ft 7 in)
Draught: 7.4 m (24 ft 3 in)
Installed power:
Propulsion:
Speed: In excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)[9]
Range: In excess of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h)[9]
Complement: 191[10] (accommodation for up to 235)
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
Armament:
Aircraft carried:
  • 1–2 × Lynx Wildcat, armed with:
    • 4 × anti ship missiles, or
    • 2 × anti submarine torpedoes
  • or
  • 1 × Westland Merlin,[16] armed with:
    • 4 × anti-submarine torpedoes
Aviation facilities:
  • Large flight deck
  • Enclosed hangar

HMS Dragon is the fourth ship of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy. She was launched in November 2008 and commissioned on 20 April 2012.[17]

Construction

Dragon's construction began at the then BAE Systems Naval Ships (later BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions) yard at Scotstoun on the River Clyde in December 2005, and by December 2007 the bow section was in place on the Govan slipway for mating with the other modules. Dragon launched from the slipway at Govan on 17 November 2008 at 3:00pm.[18] Her sponsor was Mrs Susie Boissier, wife of Vice Admiral Paul Boissier, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet and Chief of Staff.[19] She was fitted out at Scotstoun.

Sea trials

Dragon commenced her first set of contractor's sea trials on 5 November 2010.[20]

Operational service

Dragon joined the Royal Navy Surface Fleet on Friday, 20 April 2012.[21] On Friday 27 April she made her maiden visit to Liverpool, staying for three days. She was opened to the public on Saturday 28 April, with visitors able to see the inside of the ship, including the operations room.

In August 2013, it was reported that Dragon was sailing with the USS Nimitz carrier group in the Arabian Sea, acting as the main point ship for aircraft control.[22][23] In August 2013, several Typhoons from No. 6 Squadron RAF were exercising with Dragon and US fighters in the Gulf.[24] It has sailed westwards to the Eastern Mediterranean.[25]

In April 2014, Dragon was deployed to waters north of Scotland, after having sailed from Portsmouth, to track the Russian warship Vice-Admiral Kulakov.[26] She was part of the Royal Navy's Atlantic Patrol Tasking in late 2014.[27]

In October 2016, Dragon was sent to track two Russian corvettes in the Atlantic during a major deployment of Russian naval forces near the United Kingdom.[28]

Characteristics

Dragon features the Welsh Dragon on her bow.

Affiliations

Notes

  1. ↑ The Harpoon missile is to be fitted to four of the six ships. HMS Duncan is to be the first.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "HMS Dragon at Clydebuilt database". Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  2. ↑ "Royal Navy Bridge Card, February 201" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  3. ↑ "World Shipping Register - Ship Index". Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  4. ↑ "Type 45 Destroyer". Royal Navy. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
  5. ↑ "HMS Daring leaves Sydney after spectacular week of celebrations". Royal Navy. Retrieved 2013-10-13.
  6. ↑ "For Queen and Country". Navy News (July 2012): Page 8. One hundred or so miles west of the largest city of Abidjan lies the fishing port of Sassandra, too small to accommodate 8,500-tonnes of Type 45.
  7. ↑ "HMS Duncan joins US Carrier on strike operations against ISIL". Navy News. Royal Navy. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015. As well as supporting the international effort against the ISIL fundamentalists – the 8,500-tonne warship has also joined the wider security mission in the region.
  8. ↑ "HMS Daring". Wärtsilä. Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  9. 1 2 "HMS Daring - Type 45 facts by Royal Navy.pdf". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Royal Navy (11 July 2013). "A Global Force 2012/13" (pdf). Newsdesk Media. ISBN 978-1-906940-75-1. Complement as of 24 April 2013
  11. ↑ "Raytheon Press Release" (PDF). 2006-03-08. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  12. ↑ "Jane's Electro-Optic Systems". 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
  13. ↑ "Fleet to get the latest in electronic surveillance" (PDF). DESider. Ministry of Defence. September 2012. p. 18.
  14. ↑ "UK to buy Shaman CESM for Seaseeker SIGINT programme". IHS Janes Defense. 29 June 2014.
  15. ↑ Royal Navy - HMS Duncan, royalnavy.mod.uk
  16. ↑ "Air Defence Destroyer (T45)". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 31 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  17. ↑ "Dragon shows a flare for action during weapons trials in the Channel". Royal Navy. 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  18. ↑ "HMS Dragon launched". WalesOnline. 2008-11-17. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  19. ↑ "Thousands line the Clyde to see HMS Dragon roar for first time". The Herald webpages. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  20. ↑ "HMS Dragon off on sea trials in the Clyde". ForArgyll.com. 2010-11-05. Retrieved 2010-11-19.
  21. ↑ "HMS Dragon Joins the Fleet". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  22. ↑ "Nimitz and company help Dragon prepare for new RN Carriers - Royal Navy".
  23. ↑ "Protecting the defenders on the high seas".
  24. ↑ "Navy News - Reporting from the Fleet".
  25. ↑ "Navy News - Reporting from the Fleet".
  26. ↑ "RAF fighter jets scrambled to investigate Russian planes". BBC. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  27. ↑ "HMS Dragon leaves Portsmouth on deployment - Royal Navy".
  28. ↑ Lusher, Adam (20 October 2016). "British warships tracking Russian fleet heading for the Channel". The Independent. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  29. ↑ "Navy destroyer linked to Cardiff". BBC News. 2007-05-24. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  30. ↑ "Yes Minster… York takes on HMS Dragon as her affiliate". Navy News. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  31. ↑ "Worshipful Company of Plaisterers visit". Royal Navy website. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
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