UK Destroyer Tasked With Defense of Cyprus Heads to Port for Repairs
The air defense destroyer that the UK dispatched to protect the British base on Cyprus has been delayed for a "minor technical stop," according to the UK Ministry of Defense.
HMS Dragon deployed March 10 after a two-week period of preparations for her voyage, and she arrived off Cyprus on March 27. She will now be putting into port somewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean while her onboard water systems are fixed, defense sources told the BBC. For now, the supply of potable water aboard the vessel is sufficient for the crew, and "HMS Dragon will remain at a very high level of readiness" throughout the port call, the UK MoD said. She will be prepared to set sail at short notice if required.
HMS Dragon's deployment has been controversial for several reasons, firstly as a symbol of Britain's reluctance to join the Israeli/American conflict with Iran. President Donald Trump requested the presence of Britain's two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean; Prime Minister Keir Starmer has only dispatched one air defense destroyer, and has oriented its mission around the defense of the RAF Akrotiri base on Cyprus, which was attacked by a long range Iranian drone early in the conflict.
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Secondly, HMS Dragon's solo deployment and delayed departure have been taken as a sign of the Royal Navy's ongoing readiness challenges. The ship's maintenance and preparations were rushed to completion, and much of the training workup for the crew happened while en route, so the deployment was a testament to the Royal Navy's efforts; nonetheless, critics have noted that none of the Royal Navy's six destroyers were available for an immediate response to an attack on a UK overseas base.
"Plenty of armchair critics have loudly complained that it took far too long for HMS Dragon to get into theater. However, with a French carrier group, US, Greek and Dutch warships already on the scene together with RAF jets and RN Wildcats, Cyprus has been well protected already," commented Royal Navy news site Navy Lookout. "The real scandal is the 30 years of underfunding and decline that have left the navy with a lack of vessels, people, munitions and spares, rather than the time it has taken one particular ship to be readied."