HMS Dragon lingered in the English Channel for three days after her departure from Portsmouth, despite orders to race to Cyprus in defence of British forces.
The Type 45 destroyer, valued at £1billion, disabled her transponder immediately upon leaving harbour on Tuesday, preventing public tracking of her movements.
Senior officials are said to have scrapped a scheduled stop in Plymouth for a crew change amid pressure to expedite the vessel’s journey to the eastern Mediterranean.
The warship only cleared UK waters yesterday, having covered merely 220 miles from Portsmouth to Land’s End during those three days while preparations continued aboard.
The deployment came in response to an Iranian drone strike that hit the sovereign base RAF Akrotiri on March 1, penetrating air defences and striking a hangar close to residential areas.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer ordered the destroyer to sail following the attack.
However, HMS Dragon faced a week-long delay whilst undergoing repairs before even departing Portsmouth last week.
It is understood to have been stuck in dry dock with scaffolding erected and no weapons loaded when the order came.
HMS Dragon lingered in the English Channel for three days after her departure from Portsmouth for Cyprus
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Naval personnel worked around the clock to equip her with Sea Ceptor missiles and supplies, readying the ship for her Mediterranean mission.
Falklands veteran Simon Weston, who was part of the stunningly rapid response to Argentina’s invasion of the British territory in 1982, slammed the glacial pace of the deployment.
Speaking to GB News, he asked: “How ridiculous does Britain look and the British military look with the debacle that’s gone on over Dragon?”
“How minuscule does our influence look on the world if we can’t support our people at this moment in time?”
The ship has been sent to defend the British sovereign base RAF Akrotiri
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Former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West also condemned the Government’s handling of the crisis, highlighting a fundamental failure to grasp naval strategy.
He blasted: “There isn’t a single warship between Singapore and Gibraltar.”
“There is no understanding in government of the importance of maritime power.
“It’s astonishing that no one had the geopolitical sense to make these decisions earlier,” the former Navy chief told The Sun.
The Ministry of Defence maintained that the deployment was proceeding appropriately despite the criticism.
“HMS Dragon is continuing her transit to the Eastern Mediterranean, where she will play a vital role in safeguarding UK assets and interests in the region,” a spokesman stressed.
Officials emphasised that the ship’s company and support staff had worked intensively to prepare the vessel, condensing six weeks of work into just six days.
The MoD added that completing final maintenance whilst at sea shortly after departure is standard practice for naval vessels.
France has sent half of its navy to the Middle East to respond to the crisis
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Defence Secretary John Healey praised the teams involved, describing their efforts as “the very best of Britain in action”.
Meanwhile, Britain’s old naval adversary, France, has dispatched warships to the Middle East on an “unprecedented” scale.
Paris has dispatched roughly half of its surface fleet to the Eastern Mediterranean, including its sole aircraft carrier.
President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the deployment is intended to protect maritime traffic, French citizens and allied nations in the area.