The Royal Navy's latest warship, the Type 45 destroyer, Duncan, will sail into Palma next week for a brief visit. Until the new aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth, is commissioned into the fleet later this year it will hold the unique honour of being the newest vessel in the fleet.
HMS Duncan is the sixth and last of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy. Duncan is named after Adam Duncan, Viscount Duncan of Camperdown (1 July 1731-4 August 1804), who defeated the Dutch fleet at the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October 1797.
Duncan’s construction began at the BAE Systems Naval Ships (now part of BAE Systems Surface Ships) yards at Govan and Scotstoun on the River Clyde in 2006. It was launched from Govan on 11 October 2010, on the 213th anniversary of the Battle of Camperdown. Duncan sailed from Scotstoun shipyard, Glasgow on 31 August 2012 to commence sea trials.
On 2 March 2015, Duncan left Portsmouth on maiden deployment to the Mediterranean and Middle East. On 7 July 2015, Duncan joined up with the US Navy Carrier Strike Group to strike the Islamic State.
In April 2016, HMS Duncan was one of several Royal Navy ships exercising with the French Navy in Exercise Griffin Strike. In October 2016, Duncan, escorted by the frigate HMS Richmond, was dispatched by the Ministry of Defence to intercept and "man-mark" a fleet of Russian Navy vessels, including their flagship Admiral Kuznetsov, which were passing through the English Channel on their way to Syria. In November, while sailing off the coast of England, Duncan suffered a total propulsion failure and was towed back to Plymouth.
Duncan sailed from Portsmouth in June 2017 to assume the role of flagship of NATO Standing Maritime Naval Group 2 (SNMG2), operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
This will be the ship's first visit to Palma.