Royal Navy destroyer commander rides off command

The commander of Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring transferred command of the ship and went ashore to ride off along a Bahrain beach on the back of a camel.

After spending almost three years at the helm of HMS Daring, the ship’s company of the Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer decided a send-off with a desert theme would be just the ticket for Cdr Philip Dennis as they reached the halfway point of their nine-month deployment to the Middle East.

So after addressing the 250 men and women under his wing for the final time, Cdr Dennis departed the ship in Bahrain and found the camel waiting for him.

“It has been my privilege to have been the captain of HMS Daring for well over two and a half years,” said Cdr Dennis during his address to the ship.

“I hope that you are as proud of your efforts as I am of you.”

The ship’s company formed a ‘gauntlet of honour’ on the beach just outside the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY), applauding Cdr Dennis as his camel was guided along the sand by a local handler.

HMS Daring is deployed on maritime security duties in some of the world’s most important shipping lanes and has just completed a mid-deployment break in Bahrain, where essential maintenance is carried out to ensure the ship can continue its air defence operations.