Launch hails link to top-range warship

EXETER has a new warship  to replace its namesake destroyer.

HMS Exeter is no more, but  the Royal Navy’s newest ship,  HMS Defender, has been  launched and will take up the  mantle as the city’s ship.

The link to such a prestigious vessel is seen as a coup  for the city — although it will  be sharing the honour with  Glasgow.

The 500ft-long, 7,200 tonne,  Defender, the fifth of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 class anti-air warfare destroyers,  raced down the slipway at  BVT Surface Fleet’s shipyard  at Govan.

It was cheered on by the  Lord Mayor of Exeter, Councillor John Winterbottom,  and the council’s chief executive, Philip Bostock, who attended the ceremoney .

They were among thousands of well-wishers who  had made the journey to see  Lady Massey, wife of Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey carry  out the launch ceremony.

Crowds were entertained  by the Band of the Royal  Marines and a Royal Marines  helicopter display.

A Royal Navy spokesman  said: “The formal agreement  linking HMS Defender and  Exeter has only just been  made.

“We are always anxious to  maintain links with particular areas especially those  like Exeter, which have  strong connections to the  Royal Navy.

“These days sailors on a  ship come from all parts of the  country and it is good for  them to have somewhere they  can focus on as a crew. A bit  further down the road they  will be adopting local charities in Exeter and becoming  involved in events.”

An Exeter City Council  spokesman said: “When HMS  Exeter was decommissioned  this year we approached the  Royal Navy to continue the  affiliation and asked if they  could find us a suitable ship.

“We were very fortunate to  get HMS Defender, as one of  only two cities to be linked to  her. It is quite a coup for  Exeter.”

The Defender, with a top  speed of 29 knots, is said to be  the most advanced air-defence warship in the world. Its  new multi-function radar   can  detect targets out to a distance  of 220 miles and is  linked to a  new missile system.

HMS Exeter was  the last  surviving operational Royal  Navy warship to take part in  the Falklands War.

It was  retired from service  in May after a 29-year career.

She destroyed four Argentine aircraft during the Falklands campaign.

She was also involved in the  Gulf War of 1991, employed as  an escort for a US battleship  and mine countermeasures  vessels off the Kuwaiti coast.

She clocked up 892,811 nautical miles through her service career.

Most of Exeter’s ship’s company have been transferred to  other posts across the naval  fleet, including the new Type  45 ships.