British warship to set sail for Falklands

One of the UK Royal Navy's newest and most powerful warships is to set sail for the Falkland Islands a day before the 30th anniversary of the British task force setting sail for war, it was officially announced Monday. HMS Dauntless, the second of the Navy's hi-tech Type 45 air defence destroyers, will leave its home port of Portsmouth Naval Base, southern England this Wednesday, the Royal Navy said. This will evoke memories of the first ships of the task group, including the aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and Invincible, sailing from the Hampshire port on April 5 1982, commentators said. Argentina has complained to the UN of the UK's "militarisation" of the South Atlantic following the announcement of the deployment of Dauntless. The Ministry of Defence has said that it is a routine mission with Dauntless taking over the patrols of Plymouth-based frigate HMS Montrose. Commanding officer Captain Will Warrender said in a brief statement: "HMS Dauntless' ship's company has been working extremely hard over the last year or so to prepare for our first operational deployment. "We are now ready to provide a reassuring presence in the region and protect British interests." A Royal Navy spokesman said: "HMS Dauntless is to deploy to the South Atlantic. "It is a pre-planned and routine deployment to replace Plymouth-based frigate HMS Montrose which is currently there. "It will be the first deployment for HMS Dauntless".