There was no defence against the blanket of snow which has covered much of the UK last week – not even for the most advanced warships in Britain’s arsenal. As the nation shivers in this Arctic blast, the Navy’s new Type 45 destroyers lie peacefully beneath a covering of snow in Portsmouth Naval Base just a stone’s throw from HMS Victory, which has seen it all before.
Despite the snowfall, which has caused widespread disruption to travel, school and business across the land, it was business as usual for the crews of HMS Diamond and Dauntless – recently returned from the much warmer climes of the Gulf and the Americas respectively – as the two destroyers experienced possibly their first taste of the ‘white stuff’ in their home port.
Portsmouth is currently home to five of the six ships in the Type 45 class, with the final ship, HMS Duncan, due to arrive in the city this spring.
The destroyers are part of the backbone of the 21st Century Royal Navy, charged with shielding the Fleet from threats in the air, and mark an investment in the Fleet akin to that made in Nelson’s flagship Victory 250 years ago; she also experienced a dusting of snow as she undergoes restoration work in Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard.
Launched in 1765, Victory is the oldest naval ship still in commission, standing only a couple of hundred metres away from her modern-day counterparts.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, January 21, 2013; Image: Royal Navy