Daring Handed Over to MoD

>The British MoD has accepted HMS Daring, the lead Type 45 anti-air destroyer, from its builder. She is to sail to Portsmouth, her home port, in January. (MoD photo)Daring, the first of the Royal Navy's new powerful Type 45 class destroyers, was formally handed over to the MOD in a ceremony at the Scotstoun shipyard on the Clyde today, Wednesday 10 December 2008.>> The 7,500-tonne ship has now completed a range of stringent trials and tests and is due to sail to her home port of Portsmouth in January 2009 to undertake several months more of exhaustive trials and training before she is declared ready for operational service.>> The construction of Daring has involved thousands of people at shipyards on the Clyde in Scotland and at Portsmouth, using factories and businesses across the UK.>> Accepting the first-of-class from Prime Contractor, BVT Surface Fleet Ltd, MOD's Defence Equipment and Support Type 45 programme director, Dave Twitchin, said:>> "The Acceptance-off-Contract today of HMS Daring is by far the most exciting and formative milestone of the year. It is the culmination of an incredible amount of hard work by all those who have been involved in the programme, particularly in the past two years. HMS Daring has proved herself to be a highly capable ship and has delivered on all of her promises and more. The final phase of her sea trials under MOD control will test her even further.>> "I have no doubt that she will come through with flying colours, and will become the hallmark of the modern Royal Navy and will go on to provide great service for many years to come.