Navy

Warm Welcome Home For HMS Dragon

HMS Dragon has returned to Portsmouth after a six-month patrol across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The Type 45 destroyer travelled 22,000 miles and visited 15 ports during the deployment, which included routine patrols of the Falkland Islands and supporting the community of Tristan De Cunha by moving stores and supplies around the island.

She also worked alongside maritime forces from Africa, Europe, South America and the US, in a training exercise in the Gulf of Guinea designed to improve regional cooperation and information-sharing practices, while stopping illegal activity at sea.

HMS Dragon and her fellow Type 45 destroyers are primarily designed "to shield the Fleet from air attack", according to the Royal Navy, and are capable of defence against sophisticated targets like fighter aircraft, drones and sea-skimming anti-ship missiles.