HMS Dauntless, the latest Type 45 destroyer, has entered service with the Royal Navy, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.
Dauntless commanding officer Captain Richard Powell said the warship in-service date was significant because the first destroyer, HMS Daring, had achieved the same milestone only three months ago.
“These modern multipurpose vessels will replace some of our older warships and ensure that the UK can react to current defence challenges anywhere in the world,” he said.
The warship has undergone months of extensive sea trials and successfully fired the world-leading air defence missile system, Sea Viper, for the first time, according to Defpro.com.
The ship, which has fuel tanks that are half the size of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, will undergo further trials and training with the first operational deployment planned for next year.
HMS Dauntless was launched in January 2007 and has since undertaken months of sea trials.
The destroyer set sail from Portsmouth on 15 November 2010 to begin the second set of sea trials.
