Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan recently led a meeting of NATO vessels in the Aegean Sea.
The destroyer is currently flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2.
Duncan, in company with the Turkish frigate TCG Gemlik and Spanish frigate ESPS Victoria, met up with German frigate FGS Bayern and Greek naval vessels for a passing exercise, known as PASSEX.
Bayern, flagship of Task Unit 1, was accompanied by the Hellenic Navy destroyer HS Adrias, fast-attack craft HS Mykonios and gunboat HS Armatolos.
Standing #NATO Maritime Group 2 ships ??HMS Duncan (D37), ??ESPS Victoria (F82), ??TCG Gemlik (F492), ??FGS Bayern (F217) sail with Hellenic Navy ships ??HS Adrias (F459), ??HS Mykonios (P22) and ??HS Armatolos (P18) during a Passing Exercise in the Aegean Sea pic.twitter.com/eE3sTQ2tby
— NATO MaritimeCommand (@NATO_MARCOM) May 1, 2018
HMS Duncan left her Portsmouth home in January to serve as flagship of the NATO group in the Mediterranean.
Commissioned in September 2013 as the final of six Type 45 destroyers, Duncan is armed with the Sea Viper missile system able to track and engage several aircraft and missile targets at very high speed.
Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is a multinational, integrated maritime force – made up of vessels from various allied nations, training and operating together as a single team – that is permanently available to NATO to perform a wide range of tasks, from participating in exercises to crisis response and real world operational missions.