What can you do as a sailor if the ship you are assigned to has been in maintenance for such a long period? The British Royal Navy’s HMS Daring – a Type 45 destroyer – has reached the ignominious feat of staying in port for repairs longer than it has been on active duty.
The HMS Daring served for almost seven years patrolling the high seas after reaching active status in 2010. The destroyer conducted disaster relief duty and anti-piracy missions in the Middle East and the Philippines. Now, it won’t be ready until early 2026.
The Propulsion System Had to Be Fixed First
The HMS Daring fell in disrepair after its propulsion system went on the fritz. This happens frequently to Type 45 destroyers.
In 2017, It was sent to Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead and later to Portsmouth – an odyssey that has gone on for nearly eight years and that has been longer than it has served the British Royal Navy at sea.
“The propulsion issues originated from a design flaw in the Northrop Grumman intercooler attached to the ship’s Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbines. In warm climates like the Persian Gulf, power availability was significantly reduced, and some ships even lost power mid-deployment,” according to the UK Defense Journal.
Next, the Power Generation System Needed Work
One of the main problems affecting the warship is the faulty power generation feature, so the vessel is undergoing a long process called the Power Improvement Project (PIP). To fix this area of the ship requires work to be completed under auxiliary systems.
The electrical requirements on the diesel generators became too large and then power failed during deployments which rendered the destroyer mission-incapable. There will be three new generators installed.
Once Back On Patrol, It Could Serve for Decades Longer
Officers assigned to the project do not think the Daring is an old ship and they maintain that after the work is done in a year the destroyer can serve until the 2040s. The repairs have been estimated to cost several millions of dollars.
The initial refit work was completed at Cammell Lair in 2022. Then the PIP began in Portsmouth after the propulsion system was fixed. British Royal Navy officers are not enthused with the long work period, but they understand that the PIP is an intricate process.
“Having maintenance throughout its life is not unheard of, and neither is upgraded propulsion at the same time to provide that further functionality. The requirements were changed from the initial design and build effectively,” said Lieutenant Lewis Young, Deputy Marine Engineering Officer Ships for HMS Daring.
But this has been one of the longest maintenance periods in modern British naval history and has some naval analysts wondering if the Type 45 is a faulty series of ships. There are six ships in the class and the HMS Dauntless had to go through the PIP as well.
More About the Type 45 Daring-class Destroyers
The Daring-class Type 45 destroyers displace 7,350 tons. They are nearly 500 feet long. Top speed is 30 knots, and they have a range of 7,000 nautical miles.
The Daring-class is an excellent escort ship for aircraft carriers. The ships excel at missile and aircraft defense. The Daring-class destroyers are known for their advanced communications systems and sensors for better survivability.
There is a flight deck and hangar to deploy a Merlin helicopter. This helps with anti-submarine warfare to protect the fleet. The helicopter also answers the call for a diverse mission set including humanitarian missions and combat search and rescue.
The Daring-class boasts the Sea Viper missile. This interceptor can defend against anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft. The vertical tubes can launch eight missiles in less than ten seconds.
Type 45 destroyers also have the SAMPSON radar system. This can track enemy vessels and other threats 250 miles away. The SAMPSON is a spherical apparatus and helps the Sea Viper home in on its targets. The SAMPSON is difficult to jam and resists enemy electronic countermeasures.
The problem has been reliability. The ships have many bells and whistles that make it a valuable asset in combat. This Daring ship could be a lemon, but the PIP has been troubling for other ships in the class.
This long refit period has been an embarrassment to the Royal Navy. HMS Daring needs to get back on active service to help escort the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers that need as many destroyers as possible to form effective strike groups.
Naval planners must take the PIP process into account when figuring out the naval order of battle. Type 45’s must be back in service as soon as possible. Another year in repair is a further disappointment for the navy that could be needed if there is a British peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
There would need to be Royal Navy ships in the Black Sea to support the expeditionary force should it be deployed as Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for. Let’s see if other Type 45 destroyers of the Daring-class can answer the call if the peacekeepers are needed someday in Ukraine.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
