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Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon is heading to the eastern Mediterranean to defend British military assets after a drone attack hit the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus.
The Type 45 destroyer is capable of shooting down drones and ballistic missiles fired by Iran and its proxies as the Middle East crisis continues.
The crew of the vessel were seen lining the deck as the ship moved out of Portsmouth Harbour.
Officials insisted the ship had been prepared as quickly as possible for deployment, with six weeks’ worth of work squeezed into six days.
The announcement of the deployment of the ship came in response to a drone attack which hit the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus.
The ship left the port a week after its departure was announced.
Its delayed departure prompted questions after the government announced it would set sail last week.
The Portsmouth-based Type 45 was not being held at high readiness when the decision was taken. Instead, it had been in dry dock undergoing scheduled repairs ahead of a separate NATO mission.
That meant the warship first had to be refloated, re-equipped for a different role, loaded with weapons, fuel and supplies, and formally certified for deployment.
Defence Secretary John Healey said crews had been working “tirelessly” to get the ship ready, with the process reportedly compressed from weeks into days.
The delays comes amid continuing pressure on Royal Navy resources, with only a limited number of destroyers available at short notice.
However, a second British ship – the RFA Lyme Bay landing ship – could also be sent to the region if the crisis continues.
The vessel has aviation and medical facilities allowing it to assist in any evacuation effort.A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “As part of prudent planning, we have taken the decision to bring RFA Lyme Bay to heightened readiness as a precaution, should she be needed to assist in maritime tasks in the eastern Mediterranean.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir said warships are being deployed as the UK “is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there.
“We’re continuing our defensive operations and I’ve just spoken with the president of Cyprus to let him know that we are sending helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and HMS Dragon is to be deployed to the region.”
“We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies,” he said.
The UK currently has no ability to defend Cyprus against ballistic missile attacks and there are fears the island could be vulnerable from further Iranian attacks.
