HMS Dragon Sets Sail for Mediterranean

0:00On March 14th, HMS Dragon, the Royal Navy's 1 billion-pound Type 45 destroyer finally set sail from Portsmouth on Tuesday for the Eastern, Mediterranean. The move came after a drone-struck Britain's RAF-acquatery base in Cyprus on March 1st, ordered by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to bolster air, defenses there. The ship skipped a planned crew swap in Plymouth and turned off its transponder right after leaving Port, so its position isn't public anymore. It was in dock for welding work, but got rushed back to service, with the crew finishing major prev while underway. Critics, including former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West, slammed the delay, saying all six Type 45 destroyers were tied up in Port during the attack, leaving the base exposed. They argue the government lacks grasp of sea power needs, with no warships between Singapore and Gibraltar. Navy officials defend the effort, noting the team compressed six weeks of work into six days. Even Secretary John Healey praised the round-the-clock push by military and civilian staff.

1:04Dragons should reach Cypriot waters in about a week to join ships from Greece, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the RFA Line Bay is prepping as a backup for evacuating up to 173,000 registered Brits from places like Lebanon, showing prudent steps amid rising tensions.