HMS Dragon has begun its journey to the eastern Mediterranean to join the UK’s defensive operations in the region.
The Type 45 destroyer left its dock in Portsmouth on Tuesday afternoon, having only recently come out of maintenance. It will be the UK’s first and only warship in the region when it arrives in about a week.
It comes hours after the government placed a naval support ship, the RFA Lyme Bay, on “heightened readiness” to be sent to support British nationals in the Middle East if needed.
HMS Dragon’s primary role will be protecting RAF Akrotiri, which was hit with an Iranian-made drone earlier this month.
