HMS Defender sails in Split
The HMS Defender T45 destroyer sailed into Lora Navy Port on a bilateral military co-operation activity between the Royal UK Navy and the Croatian Navy from 22- 25 June 2016.
The Destroyer was commissioned in 2013., as fifth of six Daring class destroyers of the UK Navy. Over the past nine months it has passed 47,538 nm, mooring in 19 ports in 11 countries, and took part in two large international naval exercises and in the peace support operations in the Middle East protecting the international fleetl. The HMS Defender’s length is 152.4 m, the beam 21.2 m, the draught 7.4 m, and the displacement is 8000 t. It has a crew of 248 personnel, and its homeport is the Portsmouth Naval Base.
The Defender commanding officer, Royal Navy Commander Stephen Higham, expressed his great pride over the crew he had worked with forr the past 18 months.“Each seaman, member of the Royal Navy, each pilot and private serving aboard the Defender is known for the courage, self-confidence, excellence and the belief in working for the common good and contributing to the UK national security“.
The Daring-class destroyers are the backbone of the Royal Navy fleet; the are fitted for a wide range of tasks – from countering piracy and smuggling to disaster response, humanitarian assistance in the wake of natural disasters and deployment in high-intensity combat operations.