CAMMELL Laird shipyard has finally said goodbye to £1bn warship HMS Dauntless after the destroyer spent 770 days undergoing repairs in Birkenhead.
Yesterday (Tuesday, June 14) was the first time the vessel had been at sea since 2016, following a deployment to the Gulf.
On May 1 2020, she left Portsmouth under her own power for a short period at sea before arriving on the Mersey to undergo a Power Improvement Package (PIP) after serious issues were discovered with her electric propulsion system.
The PIP work was supposed to take about six months but she has remained in Birkenhead in limbo ever since whille awaiting a refit.
Farewell Merseyside!
— HMS Dauntless (@HMSDauntless) June 14, 2022
We will miss the wonderful views of Liverpool, but now it is time to test our improved engines as we head back to sea 🌊- where we belong.
Thank you @CammellLaird, @BAES_Maritime, @DefenceES.@RoyalNavy#TheAirDefenderOfChoice pic.twitter.com/mhDTxwTwFl
Delays in the costly £160m programme to fix the unreliable engines propelling Britain’s £6bn fleet of destroyers have been branded a "bloody disgrace" by former head of the Royal Navy Admiral Lord Alan West.
As the warship left Cammell Laird on Tuesday, she was given a flypast by Typhoon fighter jets.
Dauntless is expected to remain at sea for several weeks as the ship is tested to the limit. If all goes well, she could return to the fleet later this year.
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