ROYAL NAVY WELCOMES FOURTH TYPE 45 INTO ITS FLEET

Hundreds gathered at Portsmouth Naval Base to attend the official commissioning ceremony of HMS Dragon (D35), the fourth Type 45 to be accepted into the Royal Navy's fleet. Among those attending was Susie Boissier from BAE Systems and Second Sea Lord, vice admiral Charles Montgomery. The ceremony was conducted by the Chaplain of the fleet, Scott Brown and was concluded with the cutting of a commissioning cake, in true Royal Navy tradition.

Commanding officer, Darren Houston, said:

"It's a very special day which marks the end of our trials phase and the transition to front-line service.

"I am very pleased that so many families, friends and affiliates have been part of our momentous day."

HMS Dragon is the fourth Type 45 (Daring-class) destroyer to be commissioned into the Royal Navy. She is awaiting her first operational deployment, which is expected to be sometime next year. Her sister ships HMS Defender and HMS Diamond are both currently deployed on operations. There are to be six Type 45 destroyers in Royal Navy service by the middle of the decade.