Editorial: Simply the best

“IT makes me so proud to be British when you see these dedicated people,” a Bulletin subscriber remarked to me during a visit to the Royal Navy destroyer Dauntless in Palma on Thursday. Ofcourse she was talking about the crew of the Type 45 destroyer which has just completed a deployment to the Gulf.  One Bulletin subscriber went even further and summed up the whole story when she remarked that she could see how Britain could punch above its weight thanks to the dedication of its armed services and obviously their equipment. Fifty Bulletin subscribers went aboard the Dauntless earlier this week and they were all thoroughly impressed by the Type 45 destroyer which cost in excess of one billion pounds. The Royal Navy may no longer rule the waves but its small size is counterbalanced by the sheer skill of its crews and ofcourse equipment. The U.S. Navy was so impressed by HMS Dauntless that she was given the mission of riding “shotgun”to one of its big aircraft carriers which was mounting missions against Islamic State terrorists in Iraq. The destroyer is certainly state of the art. Britain has purchased six Type 45s all of which are now operational with the Royal Navy. Unfortunately spending cuts meant that initially 12 were planned but only six were built. But the Royal Navy is quick to say that they are the best destroyers in the world. Judging by the comments from our subscribers their crews also deserve that title as well.