What has HMS Dragon been doing? New Commanding Officer takes charge with ship in Kenya amid Iran uncertainty

A new Commanding Officer has taken charge of a Royal Navy destroyer deployed in the Middle East.

Commander Graeme Hazelwood has assumed command of HMS Dragon, with Commander Ian Giffin making way. The handover took place onboard the Type 45 warship alongside Mombasa, Kenya, on August 5.

Cdr Giffin addressed the ship’s company as his last act in charge, receiving rounds of applause. HMS Dragon has been deployed after leaving HMNB Portsmouth on March 10. Six weeks worth of work was completed within six days to prepare the warship, with conflict escalating between Iran and a US-Israeli coalition.

She’s currently deployed to prepare for an agreed multinational effort to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, where 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil passes through. Alongside RFA Lyme Bay, which is currently acting as a mothership for autonomous mine-hunting drones, the pair will be asked to maintain freedom of navigation in the area when conditions allow. This is expected to be when an extended peace agreement is reached between Tehran, the US, and Israel.

As part of these preparations, HMS Dragon linked up with the French Carrier Strike Group earlier this year, led by the huge aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle. In late July, Daring-class destroyer conducted live-firing gunnery trials in the Arabian Sea.

The ship’s company tested the Phalanx and 30mm weapon systems. She is now alongside Mombasa in Kenya with RFA Lyme Bay for a short period of maintenance, giving personnel the chance to resupply the ship.

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “HMS Dragon and RFA Lyme Bay have been pre-positioned to provide the UK Armed Forces with additional options for a potential multinational mission jointly led by the UK and France.

“After a period of training and joint exercises, they are now due a port visit for routine maintenance and resupply, which all Navy ships regularly undertake. We would like to extend thanks to our Kenyan partners for their support.”

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The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut down by Iran. Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Tehran, have been bolder in carrying out attacks in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

They recently attacked a ship off the Yemeni coast, killing six people. Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar condemned the assault and said three of its nationals were killed. “Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” Mr Dar said in a post on X.

The US military said its forces fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports. US Central Command said the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship. Its statement does not say whether the ship’s crew suffered any casualties.

The US Navy currently has more than 15 warships, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship, stationed in the waters of the Arabian Sea. Iran has kept up its attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, largely shutting it off. It has refused to back down on demands that the US end its blockade of Iranian ports, lift sanctions on the Islamic Republic and fulfil other conditions.

President Donald Trump scoffed at Iran’s demands, and is calling on Tehran to “provide compensation for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts”.