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Crew of HMS Dauntless return home for Christmas after 195 days at sea

Lottie Casas December 8, 2023

Welcome home Daddy! Crew of HMS Dauntless return for Christmas after 195 days at sea and are greeted by emotional families in Portsmouth

  • The Type 45 destroyer retuned to its home base of Portsmouth after 195 days
  • The warship seized more than 2,000kg of cocaine during a 28,000-nautical mile mission

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dauntless has returned to its home port after its crew seized more than £200m of drugs during a hurricane season deployment to the Caribbean.

The Type 45 destroyer intercepted smugglers on four occasions, helping seize more than 2,000kg of cocaine during a 28,000-nautical mile mission.

The warship returned to its home base of Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Friday having completed its mission to the British Overseas Territories.

As well as the drug raids, sailors from the warship helped clear plastic waste from a turtle nesting site on the Caribbean island of Curacao.

The 190-capacity vessel arrived into Portsmouth today as it was greeted by hundreds of emotional families holding signs aloft in anticipation of reuniting with their loved ones for the first time in 195 days.

Type 45 destroyer, HMS Dauntless returns to its home base of Portsmouth, Hampshire after deployment in the Caribbean

Families waited to greet the returning crew after being away for 195 days

Pictured: Many made personalised signs as they docked into Portsmouth Harbour

Pictured: A family reuniting after more than six months away at sea

The 190-crew was deployed to the Caribbean in July

Commander Ben Dorrington, Dauntless’s commanding officer, said: ‘I am immensely proud of what HMS Dauntless has achieved

The ship has returned to its home port after more than six months away after being deployed in July, having succeeded in seizing more than 2,000kg of cocaine, worth more than £200 million whilst it patrolled the Caribbean.

According to the crew, Dauntless intercepted five illicit drug trafficking operations and carried out 18 port visits.

The crew also achieved clearing plastic waste from a turtle nesting site on the Caribbean island of Curacao.

She also provided reassurance to British Overseas Territories during hurricane season in the region from June to November. 

The crew of HMS Dauntless also cleared plastic waste from a turtle nesting site on the Caribbean island of Curacao (Pictured: A Sea Turtle in the Caribbean)

Commander Ben Dorrington, Dauntless’s commanding officer, said: ‘I am immensely proud of what HMS Dauntless has achieved during this deployment, the first destroyer to complete this task since Dauntless was last in the Caribbean in 2012.

‘Our team have worked tirelessly over the last 195 days away across a range of tasks.’

Dauntless’s deployment was the first following the Power Improvement Programme (PIP) engine upgrade of the Type 45 fleet which had suffered power failures leading to some of the class being taken out of service for long periods.

Deputy weapon engineering officer Lieutenant Harry Jukes said: ‘The additional resilience provided by the third diesel generator gives us increased redundancy in the ship’s electricity supply, meaning more availability of sensors to command capable of tracking contacts over 200 miles.’

Petty officer engineering technician Ryan Waters added: ‘The PIP has given much greater resilience to the propulsion plant of a Type 45 destroyer, improving availability to the Type 45 fleet which provides essential air and missile defence capability to protect the UK’s aircraft carriers deployed on operations around the world.’

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