Royal Navy ship is officially adopted by residents of Leicestershire
A Royal Navy ship will fly the Leicestershire flag during its deployment across the world as part of a new affiliation with the county.
Civic leaders and the Navy have agreed that the Portsmouth-based destroyer, HMS Daring, will begin the formal arrangement after completing a multi-million pound transformation.
All Royal Navy warships enjoy affiliations with towns, cities or boroughs and, occasionally, with entire counties, such as frigates HMS Kent or Sutherland.
Minehunter, HMS Quorn, was associated with the namesake hunt and borough of Melton Mowbray until she decommissioned in 2017.
Daring’s sailors will keep Leicester and Leicestershire’s leaders up-to-date with the ship’s activities and operations and attend key events in the county, such as Remembrance parades.
Crew members will also forge ties with sports clubs, veterans’ groups and reservists from HMS Sherwood, which serves the East Midlands, as well as raising money for charities countywide.
The destroyer’s Commanding Officer, Commander Graeme Hazelwood, commented: “As we work to return HMS Daring to the front line, establishing lasting ties with affiliates is a key link to the nation and people we proudly serve.
“This new affiliation with Leicester and Leicestershire marks the beginning of a new chapter and we celebrate the connection with a county rich in history, industry and innovation.
“We look forward to the relationship ahead and the chances to build close ties.”
HMS Daring, which is undergoing a major overhaul and engine upgrade at the Portsmouth Naval Base, has been bound for the last two years with the City of Birmingham, as well as the island of Guernsey.
With a new HMS Birmingham being built on the Clyde, as the fourth of the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigates, she will take over ties with the West Midlands powerhouse.
As a landlocked county, naval connections are not obvious, although the dashing World War 1 naval leader Admiral David Beatty spent much of his time at Brooksby Hall, near Melton Mowbray, when not at sea.
Mike Kapur OBE CStJ, Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, said: “This is a great honour.
“Not only is it an opportunity to bolster understanding and awareness of the Royal Navy’s work, it’s also a chance to step up awareness of careers in the Navy and support the many hardworking charities across Leicester and Leicestershire.”