HMS Dauntless (D33)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Dauntless.

300px HMS Dauntless, outward bound from Portsmouth Naval Base, 2010
Career (United Kingdom)
Ordered:	December 2000
Builder:	BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions
Yard number:	1062
Laid down:	28 August 2004
Launched:	23 January 2007
Commissioned:	3 June 2010
Identification:	Deck Code: Pennant number: D33 International callsign: GPLB IMO number: 4907751
Motto:	Nil Desperandum Latin: "Never Despair"
Status:	In Service
Badge:	100px
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type 45 air-warfare destroyer
Displacement:	7,500 tonnes Light Seagoing (8,100 tonnes Full load)
Length:	152.4 metres (500 ft)
Beam:	21.2 metres (70 ft)
Draught:	7.4 metres (24 ft)
Propulsion:	2 Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbines, Converteam electric motors
Speed:	Over 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range:	7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at economical speed
Complement:	190
Sensors and processing systems:	SAMPSON radar S1850M 3D radar MFS 7000 Sonar
Electronic warfare and decoys:	Seagnat SSTD
Armament:	Provision for and fitted with; 1 x PAAMS Air Defence System SYLVER VLS of 48; (total of 48 anti air aster missiles) Aster 15 missiles - short to medium range. (2-30kms) Aster 30 missiles - long range missile. (3-120kms) Also anti ballistic capable. 2 x Phalanx CIWS (to be fitted by 2011-2015) 1 x BAE Systems 4.5 inch Mk 8 Mod. 1 gun 2 x 30 mm guns 2 x Miniguns and up to 6 x General Purpose Machine Guns Provision for but not fitted with; 2 x Quad Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon launchers (total of 8 harpoon missiles) BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles (if VLS is upgraded or replaced)
Aircraft carried:	1 x Lynx HMA8 or 1 x Westland Merlin HM1 Armed with 4 x anti ship missiles 2 x anti submarine torpedoes

HMS Dauntless is the second ship of the Type 45 class of air defence destroyer (AAW) built for the Royal Navy (also known as the Daring or 'D' class).

Construction and Launch

File:HMS Dauntless D33.jpg

HMS Dauntless under construction at HMNB Portsmouth Navy Days, Saturday July 2nd 2005.

Dauntless’s construction began at the BAE Systems Naval Ships yard at Govan in August 2004 on the River Clyde. Dauntless was launched on 23 January 2007 at 3.25 pm by Lady Burnell-Nugent, wife of Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, the then-Commander-in-Chief Fleet. Dauntless is the adopted warship of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Because her modules were put together outside at BAE Govan, it was possible to complete more of her structure than her sister ship, Daring, which was launched from the covered facility at Scotstoun the previous year.

Design

Main article: Type 45 Destroyer

The Type 45 has frequently been cited by the British press as being the first class of warship to include e-mail and entertainment systems (including iPod charging points) within the messdecks. These reports relate to 240-volt domestic supplies and access to external e-mail, both of which have been common features in most RN vessels for several years.

Stealth features

The most distinctive design point of the Daring class is their sleekly designed straight edges and superstructure free from clutter. This is designed to give the ship a low radar cross section - commonly called stealth features. Speculation by the press suggests that this design gives the ship the radar signature of a fishing boat.

Advanced Air Defence

The Daring class is the most powerful air-defence warship in the world. The ship's capabilities centre on the SAMPSON Multi Function Radar which can detect 100s of targets out to a distance of 400 km (250 miles) and the PAAMS missile system. In addition Darings S1850M 3D air surveillance radar is capable of detecting 1,000 targets up to 400 km (250 miles). It is also capable of detecting outer atmosphere objects such as Ballistic missiles. As at June 2010, these defences are not yet available, due to problems with the Aster missiles.

Weapons and systems

Anti-air

The Sea Viper missile system is comprised of the SAMPSON multi-function air tracking radar with a range of 400 kilometres (250 miles) and the S1850M 3D air surveillance radar also with a range of 400 kilometres (250 miles). Capable of tracking up to 1,000 targets, including outer atmosphere objects such as Ballistic missiles. The launcher is a 48 cell SYLVER A50 vertical launcher with capacity for a mix of 48 Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles. Aster 15 is a short to medium range (2 – 30 km) anti-air missile while Aster 30 is a long range (3 – 120 km) anti-air missile which is also effective against Ballistic missiles.

Anti-ship

• 4 x Sea Skua anti-ship missiles. On the embarked Lynx HMA 8 helicopter.
• 1 x 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun has an anti-ship role.
• 8 x RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. The Type 45 has the provision for a pair of quadruple launchers but there are currently no plans to fit this system.

Guns

• 1 x BAE Systems 4.5 inch Mk 8 mod 1 gun.
• 2 x Oerlikon 30 mm KCB guns on single DS-30B mounts.
• 2 x Miniguns and up to 6 x General Purpose Machine Guns
• 2 x Phalanx 20 mm close-in weapons systems. (To be fitted 2011-2015)

Anti-submarine

• 1 x MFS 7000 sonar
• 2 x Sting Ray torpedos. On the embarked Lynx HMA 8 helicopter or Merlin HM1 helicopter. The Merlin HM1 helicopter is fitted with its own dipping sonar and carries sonobuoys.

Sea trials

Dauntless sailed from the Clyde for the first time on 14 November 2008 to conduct sea trials, testing power and propulsion, weapons and communications systems. Although not yet transferred to the Royal Navy, some of her future crew sailed with her.

Dauntless arrived at HMNB Portsmouth for the first time on 2 December 2009, and was formally handed over to the Ministry of Defence by her builders on 3 December 2009.

As part of her sea trial Dauntless made her inaugural visit to her affiliated city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in May 2010.

Commissioning

Dauntless was commissioned on 3 June 2010 in the presence of her sponsor. Now a full member of the fleet, Dauntless will continue to work up in preparation for the first test firing of the Sea Viper missile system.^{[citation needed]}

Affiliations

• The City of Newcastle upon Tyne
• Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
• Newcastle United Football Club
• The Percy Hedley Foundation in Forrest Hall
• Royal Naval Reserve headquarters at HMS Calliope, Gateshead
• Royal Marine Reserve Tyne
• Dauntless Division at Britannia Royal Naval College for Young Officers under training
• TS Dauntless, Gosforth Sea Cadets, Newcastle

External links

• BBC - New warship launched on Clydeside
• BAE Systems - HMS Dauntless Home Page