Birmingham battleship HMS Daring welcomes city guests aboard
The proud crew of Birmingham’s new £1billon Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Daring, welcomed guests from the city aboard as it took to sea this week.
Those lucky enough to be on board on Thursday witnessed demonstrations of the ship’s battle-fighting capabilities and were able to roam the decks for a once-in-a-lifetime insight into the workings of one of the world’s most advanced warships.
The crew, who were given the freedom of the city last year, hosted a number of Birmingham dignitaries.
Among them was the new Lord Mayor, Len Gregory, 67. He said: “It is good to know there are ships like this protecting our nation in the future.
“It is a tremendous honour to have Daring associated with Birmingham, I’m absolutely delighted. It was an honour to be here with the Lady Mayor to represent the city.
“The ship really is something absolutely stunning, the people of Birmingham should be very proud of HMS Daring.”
The brand new boat will enter active service later this year and is designed to offer air protection to the rest of the fleet. The state-of-the-art Type 45 destroyer will operate well into the middle of the century.
Commanding Officer of HMS Daring Captain Paddy McAlpine was happy to welcome guests from the city aboard.
He said: “Birmingham has a long tradition of supporting the Royal Navy. We were absolutely delighted to find out we were going to be affiliated to the city.
"Everywhere we go while I’m in command over the next two years, and for the next 40 through the life of the ship, we will represent our service, our sovereign, our country and the city of Birmingham.
The day’s events included manoeuvring demonstrations, a man-over-board exercise, as well as fly-pasts by RAF Typhoons and Hawks.
The 200 guests were kept well fed by leading chef Andrew Smith, 33, from Redditch.
He said: “I did not know Daring was going to be affiliated to Birmingham, but it was a real bonus when it was. I’m a massive Blues fan and have all my family in the area still.”
