Royal Navy destroyer returns from nine-month stint in Middle East

Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring returned to home waters on Friday after spending nine months securing the Red Sea shipping lanes.

Daring left her homeport of HMNB Portsmouth early September and spent the bulk of the deployment operating east of Suez.

One of the destroyer’s most important roles was to protect shipping in the Bab al Mandeb strait where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking ships and planting mines.

The air defense destroyer also joined the Royal Navy’s annual deployment to the Middle East protecting the flagship HMS Ocean, which assumed command of the maritime counter-Daesh effort in the Gulf.

Returning from the deployment, Daring entered the Black Sea for her first visit to Romania. Daring entered Constanta on April 27 after taking part in exercises with the Romanian Navy.