The British Royal Navy’s Type 45 Daring-class destroyer HMS Dragon has undergone intense operational training as part of its Fleet Operational Sea Training (FOST) period.
During the three-week training at sea, the destroyer’s abilities were tested across all warfare disciplines. FOST ensures mission readiness of the vessel and its crew.
It was put through several complex scenarios where the destroyer’s company in the operations room tackled threats from surface combatant vessels.
The destroyer and its crew tested their valour against simulated small fast attack craft, safeguarding the fictitious Freeport, intelligence gathering drills, and air defence exercises.
Furthermore, the ship handled a ‘loss of capability’ scenario that saw its sailors display their capabilities and overcome challenges when radars, weapons or communications are restricted.
AB Jade Anderton said: “It was a really challenging few weeks, particularly as I had never done FOST training before.
“We had to work really hard to make sure the picture we were providing to command was accurate, especially when they started taking some of our radars away. It was great to feel that we’d improved as a team.”
The training also involved managing emergency situations, such as fires, medical incidents as well as floods.
It concluded with warfighting and damage control exercises. HMS Dragon is currently undergoing further training around the south coast.
