Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

Lead Ship,Frigate HMAS Anzac pictured with Type 45 Air Defence Destroyer HMS Diamond during Exercise Bersama Gold 21 last week.

DAUNTLESS

See - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 3563520016
And - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 3560555522

Royal Navy’s HMS Dragon Proves Its Strength Against “Sky Sharks” Air Attacks


“Sky Sharks” is not the name of an action movie, but a recent military exercise where France and the UK joined forces to test the abilities of their powerful assets. Once again, HMS Dragon played an important part, proving that it can successfully protect itself and its allies against attacks.

Continues at - https://www.autoevolution.com/news/roya ... 73184.html

Link from Tim.

Royal Navy looking for Type 45 Destroyer engineering simulator

The Ministry of Defence want to replace current “obsolete and incapable” training simulators and replace them with ones able to reflect changes made during the Type 45’s power improvement programme.
According to a ‘Prior Information Notice’ issued by the Ministry of Defence to notify industry of an upcoming contract:

“The Authority intends to run a competition to design a Training Simulator to enable training of Royal Navy Engineers assigned to Type 45 Destroyers.

The current Simulation solution is outdated, obsolete and incapable of supporting the new requirements from the Napier power improvement programme. The requirement is to design a training simulator to train personnel on the use of the Platform Management System (PMS) integral to the T45.

The competition is for procurement of a solution only. When procurement is complete, the enduring maintenance of the Training Simulator will be managed by another Department.”

The Ministry of Defence say that they intend to issue a contract notice by the end of November/Early December 2021.

What is Project Napier? Continues at - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/royal-n ... L3zTvZSrVA

Sailors from HMS Dragon paused to remember the most famous aircraft carrier in the Royal Navy’s history, 80 years after she was lost.


The destroyer’s Mediterranean patrol took her over the wreck of HMS Ark Royal which finally succumbed to a torpedo strike about 30 nautical miles east of Europa Point in Gibraltar in November 1941.

Just one sailor was lost – Able Seaman Edward Mitchell – out of a complement of 1,749 sailors.

They struggled for more than 12 hours after the carrier was hit by a torpedo from U-81 to prevent her sinking.

Engineers toiled to maintain steam and shore up the damage – the torpedo blasted a hole 130ft long and 30ft deep in the hull – but when the list reached 27 degrees, Captain Loben Maund reluctantly gave the order to abandon ship.

The evacuation was carried out with first-rate discipline with Maund the last man to leave – sliding down a rope on to a waiting tug to the resounding cheers of his men.

See - https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... -ark-royal

DAUNTLESS

Cdr Peter Barfoot has handed over command of HMS Dauntless to Cdr Ben Power.
Dauntless still in Cammell Laird shipyard - due to return to sea ‘later this year'.

See - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 6098612227

[Note the comments which followed that Tweet re. delay]

HMS Dauntless

Is in test & commissioning phase of Power Improvement Programme (PIP). 3 new diesel generators been run & initial load trials successful. Will undertake a harbour trials programme, before returning to sea later this yr.
https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 4643835904

HMS Dragon is first warship to use the new Northern Ammunition Jetty at Glen Mallan (Loch Long) since being opened.
Pedestal crane used to unload Sea Viper missiles yesterday.
See 3 photos at - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 57/photo/1

HMS DIAMOND

With fuel barge alongside. Diamond's maintenance period has been accelerated and she will likely to be available for deployment shortly.
See - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 3152739330

The Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers – status report


With the return of HMS Dragon to Portsmouth last week, at the time of writing, all six of the Type 45 destroyers are alongside or in dock. Depending on who you listen to, this is either an embarrassing disaster or entirely routine and no cause for concern. Here we look at the current situation and the complicated back story.

See - https://www.navylookout.com/the-royal-n ... us-report/