Daring is set for upgrade this year

Daring, which was the first ship of its kind when it was launched in 2006, was said to have suffered hundreds of problems since 2016, and has been in Portsmouth since September 2017.

But later this year it will have a maintenance check and upgrade.

A Royal Navy spokesman could not comment at this stage on what the upgrades were, but said they would improve its operations.

‘HMS Daring has been in Portsmouth, preparing for a major capability upgrade and maintenance period, which starts this year,’ the spokesman said.

‘All ships require regular maintenance and upgrades to enhance their operational capability and to be at the forefront of technological capabilities.

‘The exact timings for this are balanced against the Royal Navy’s standing and future operational commitments.’

In 2018, HMS Daring and its sister Type 45 destroyers were reported to be receiving new engines following multiple defects found with the fleet since its launch.

The Ministry of Defence announced a £160m. contract, known as the Power Improvement Project, to update their power and propulsion systems by replacing each ship’s two generators with three larger units.

No timeline was provided for the work, and the Royal Navy said it was unable to comment further.

‘We are unable to provide detail on the material state of the ship for reasons of operational security,’ the spokesman added.

However, the MOD has stated that the first conversion is set to be completed in 2021 with the remainder of the ships following.

A report in Portsmouth News stated that in 2017 a total of 613 maintenance jobs were tackled across the fleet.

By the end of 2018 this had increased to more than 700.

In 2016, the figure reached 954 and within a three-year period HMS Daring racked up the second highest repair jobs with 431. The highest was HMS Dragon with 621 jobs.

The total number of issues with the fleet since launch reportedly runs in the thousands.