20/10/2013 00:00
TW
0

TWO Royal Navy destroyers will be visiting the Port of Palma this month as part of operational deployments to the Mediterranean.
The Type-42 destroyer Manchester arrived in port yesterday with a NATO force which has been patrolling Mediterranean waters as part of the on-going war on terrorism. This force includes warships from most of the Mediterranean NATO members. The Manchester has a crew of more than 250 men and women and is equipped with the Sea Dart surface to air missile system, a Phalanx Rapid Firing anti-missile defence system and a Lynx helicopter. The Royal Navy has a warship permanently assigned to this NATO force. The crew of the Manchester will be looking forward to some rest and relaxation in Majorca which is still one of the most popular liberty ports in the Mediterranean for the Royal Navy. The second ship, is in fact a sister ship to the Manchester, the York which will be arriving in Palma after a long deployment to the Far East. There, she has been involved in a series of exercises with Britain's Far Eastern Allies, including Australia and New Zealand. During her stay in Palma a number of VIP events will be taking place including a reception aboard. The Type 42 forms the backbone of the Royal Navy's destroyer force and eight are in service. Two sister-ships of the Manchester and York were sunk during the Falklands War. The Sheffield and Coventry were both the victims of attacks by the Argentine Air Force. Since then all vessels of this class have been extensively modernised with the addition of the Phalanx system and improved radar and other defence systems. The Type 42 destroyers will be replaced in Royal Navy service over the next five years by the far more capable Daring class vessels which are presently under construction. These vessels, known as the Type 45, are the biggest destroyers ever built for the Royal Navy. Eight vessels of this class are on order with the first expected to join the fleet in 2008.