BAE Systems, The most advanced warship in the world to date, HMS Daring, has departed from BAE Systems’ shipyard in Scotstoun on her maiden voyage down the River Clyde to begin sea trials off the west coast of Scotland.
Launched by HRH the Countess of Wessex in February 2006, HMS Daring is the first of six Daring class Type 45 destroyers being built for the Royal Navy. They will provide the British fleet and her allies with an unparalleled level of anti-air warfare capability through to the middle of the 21st century and will be the most capable warships of their type ever built.
She will be put through her paces by BAE Systems engineers and Royal Navy personnel, who will eventually form her permanent crew once she enters service in 2009.
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BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions managing director Vic Emery said; “I am delighted that the Type 45 programme to date has been delivered on time, on budget and to the customer’s specification, underlining our commitment to supporting the operations of the UK Armed Forces.”
“HMS Daring's departure, bang on schedule, is yet another tribute to the outstanding performance of the Clyde workforce. It is a huge achievement by a team involving BAE Systems and Royal Navy personnel and another key milestone towards the entry into service of the world's most advanced warship.”
The Senior Naval Officer on board the ship, Commander David Shutts, said: “This is a great day for everybody who has been involved in the Type 45 Destroyer project.
“Both I and the rest of the Royal Naval ship’s company have been looking forward to this event for a long time. It’s not every day you take a First-of-Class warship to sea.”
Following her sea-trials, HMS Daring will return to the Clyde for on-going integration and testing, prior to hand-over to the customer by the end of 2008 and entering full service with the Royal Navy in 2009.
The Type 45 programme will provide the Royal Navy with a versatile destroyer capable of contributing to worldwide maritime and joint operations for much of the first half of this century. As well as providing a specialist air warfare capability, they will also afford the fleet a general-purpose multi-role platform capable of performing tasks from peace support and defence diplomacy through to high-intensity warfare.
BAE Systems is a global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 88,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded 13.7 billion pounds sterling (US25.4 billion dollars) in 2006.
