"Moving to new pastures": New Commanding Officer for HMS Dauntless as Royal Navy warship predecessor makes way
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A new Commanding Officer will be taking charge of a Royal Navy destroyer as she continues her global deployment.
Commander Neil Skinner is now at the helm of the Portsmouth-based warship HMS Dauntless. The Daring-class vessel is currently deployed alongside HMS Prince of Wales as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group in the Indo-Pacific.
Predecessor, Commander Ben Dorrington, will be taking on a new role. A social media announcement was made on Sunday (August 24). It said: “HMS Dauntless has a new Commanding Officer. Cdr N. Skinner has taken Command with Cdr B. Dorrington moving to new pastures.”
A strong Royal Navy presence
Cdr Dorrington oversaw many changes to HMS Dauntless ahead of Operation Highmast. While deployed in the Caribbean, Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel seized tens of millions of pounds worth of drugs during her 2023 mission.
The warship completed a recertification programme in 2024 at HMNB Portsmouth. Officials from the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) arm completed Lloyds recertification, essential maintenance and OPDEF (Operational defects) rectification. HMS Dauntless took part in various exercises in the run-up to her Indo-Pacific deployment.
One of which off the Welsh Coast involved dealing with simulated drone threats, with various guns and Martlet missiles being tested. She trained alongside HMS Prince of Wales as part of Exercise Strike Warrior, with the crew tested in a range of scenarios against a broad scope of threats.
Cdr Skinner, Cdr Dorrington’s replacement, is the former Commanding Officer of HMS Middleton. HMS Dauntless left Portsmouth for the Indo-Pacific on April 22, following the Royal Navy flagship out of the naval base.
Tim Forer, a former Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander who served in the force for 17 years, was on The Round Tower to see his son, Lieutenant Commander Jonathon Forer, 32, leave for Operation Highmast. He previously said: “It’s a really important deployment. The world is not in a good place. Sending the Navy out is a signal and hopefully people take notice of it.”