It is almost certain the £1 billion ship will not arrive in waters around Cyprus until more than two weeks after a drone hit a British base on the island.
HMS Dragon left Portsmouth on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
The deployment of HMS Dragon to Cyprus has been embroiled in more controversy after reports the warship spent three days in the English Channel. The warship, which is set to help defend British troops stationed on the island in the Eastern Mediterranean after a drone attack, set sail on Tuesday — a week after her mission was announced.
Sir Keir Starmer has faced criticism over the sluggish deployment of the Type 45 destroyer. The delay has been widely viewed as a reflection of the decades of cuts to the military by successive governments. Former Royal Navy chief Lord West told the Express the Government should consider putting the country on a war footing to “get something done” amid growing concerns over the state of defence.
Sir Keir Starmer has faced criticism following the outbreak of the Iran war (Image: Getty)
HMS Dragon’s responder was turned off as she left Portsmouth naval base and she could’ve been slowed down even more as she had been scheduled to stop in Plymouth for a change of crew, reports The Sun.
However, this was purportedly cancelled as senior officials urged the ship to push on.
The £1 billion warship is said to have left UK waters on Thursday.
Her journey from the UK to the Eastern Mediterranean was expected to take between five and seven days.
The days reportedly spent in the Channel will have only held her up further.
It almost certainly means she will not arrive in the Eastern Med until more than two weeks after a drone — believed to have been fired from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon — hit a hangar at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus.
There were no casualties and “minimal damage”, according to Defence Secretary John Healey.
Dragon’s deployment could be held up further as she may have to stop off near Crete to test her weapon systems, as revealed by the Express.
The Government has been under growing criticism over its readiness for war in the Middle East.
The Royal Navy’s final vessel in the region set sail for home just weeks before the conflict broke out.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed HMS Dragon was continuing her journey to the Eastern Med, adding: “It’s not uncommon for ships to continue final maintenance and preparations while on deployment at sea, shortly after sailing.”