When Royal Navy vessels are on deployment, any necessary marine engineering and maintenance work requires prompt and accurate reactivity. 

In the summer of 2022, the Hythe Engineering team responded to a request from BAE Systems regarding a Type 45 Destroyer. The ship was operating in the Mediterranean and the Baltic and further south in the Med alongside HMS Albion’s task group. 

Working with NATO allies and partners, the vessel completed a successful European security mission. While in deployment, the vessel had multiple short-notice activations and has been involved in three major operations across 2022. 

“Britain’s six Type 45 Destroyers are among the most advanced warships ever built. They’re suited to a huge range of tasks, from hunting down pirates to defending the Fleet from air attack, or providing humanitarian aid. 

Equipped with the ferocious Sea Viper missile, which can knock moving targets out of the sky from up to 70 miles away, Type 45 Destroyers are the backbone of the Royal Navy.” 

• Royal Navy

At the time of the request, the vessel was located in Souda, Crete. Ensuring our team can be globally deployed to complete necessary work allows us to be flexible enough to assist with maintenance projects at any location. The marine engineering carried out by the Hythe Engineering team allowed the Destroyer to carry on with its operations without the need to return to the Portsmouth Naval Base, saving the vessel and crew crucial time. 

Completing the project alongside BAE Systems were two Hythe Engineering Mechanical Fitters. The team were able to complete the maintenance work with basic hand tools. This meant the project could be completed quickly and with as little disruption as possible to the active Destroyer. 

Greg Strange, the project manager, commented, “I believe Hythe Engineering was selected for this project because our ability to provide rapid response services was well-suited to this quick turn-around project, along with the skillset of our personnel.” 

While completing the project, our Mechanical Fitters also assisted on a few other minor projects onboard the Destroyer. They kept the client up to date with daily discussions whenever they were required and were helpful and proactive with the general running and coordination of the project.