US EditionWorry for Naval Families as HMS Dragon Heads to Mediterranean
HMS Dragon, staffed by about 200 crew, is deployed to counter aerial threats with its Sea Viper missile system amid regional tensions near Iran, Royal Navy said.
- On Tuesday, HMS Dragon left Portsmouth Naval Base and sailed out into the Solent, heading for the eastern Mediterranean, rounding the Isle of Wight.
- The deployment aims to join UK defensive operations in the Cyprus region to protect RAF Akrotiri, hit by an Iranian-made drone earlier this month; Type 45 destroyers protect areas up to five times Cyprus's size.
- Equipped with the Sea Viper air-defence system, HMS Dragon sails with about 200 crew and can launch eight missiles in under 10 seconds, directing up to 16 simultaneously; last year it destroyed a supersonic missile during exercises.
- Vice-Admiral Steve Moorhouse praised the rapid preparation of HMS Dragon and Wildcats from 815 Naval Air Squadron for the mission, as families watched from Southsea seafront.
- Other UK vessels have been placed on heightened readiness, including HMS Prince of Wales, which can sail in five days, and Clare Scherer urged parents to explain to children, 'But if you're talking behind closed doors and not giving them information, they will worry more'.
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UK trade union leaders issue toothless statements on illegal war against Iran
Appeals to the government to work for a diplomatic solution are maintained even as it has made clear its commitment to the US-led war, making UK air bases available for American aircraft and deploying British aircraft to protect US bases, as well moving the destroyer HMS Dragon to the region.
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