World’s Most Problematic Destroyers Suffer Again as ‘Technical Issue’ Forces British Type 45 Class Out of Combat Zone

The British Royal Navy Type 45 class destroyer HMS Dragon has made port in the Mediterranean due to an unspecified “technical issue,” marking the latest of multiple incidents in which the ships have been forced out of action for similar reasons. The availability rates of the Type 45 class ships have been notoriously poor, at times as low as 17 percent, as they have been prone to frequent breakdowns particularly when operating in warm waters. The ships have at times seen their Rolls Royce diesel engines “degrade catastrophically,” in hot climates such as those found around the Persian Gulf. In February 2024, the Navy withdrew the Type 45 class destroyer HMS Diamond from operations near Yemen, citing “technical problems,” fuelling speculation that engine issues were responsible. HMS Diamond had previously lost all electrical power in the Persian Gulf in 2016, drifting until systems were restored, among multiple other breakdowns.

Highlighting prevailing issues with the vessels, the first destroyer of the class, HMS Daring, required a refitting and refurbishment period of over 3000 days which ended in 2025. Although the Type 45 class has particularly stood out with the fleet for its poor reliability, other British ships have been criticised for their reliability, with the more recently built Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers having also suffered from serious performance issues including multiple instances of breakdowns and flooding. In this context, the latest breakdown of HMS Dragon is far from outstanding, and is in line with broader trends towards the ships consistently needing to be withdrawn from operations.

The timing of HMS Dragon’s withdrawal from operations has fuelled considerable speculation that it may have been targeted by a cruise missile, with the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah having claimed to have targeted an Israeli Navy warship with an anti-ship cruise missile off the coast of Lebanon. Israel’s Channel 14 reported that Hezbollah may have mistaken HMS Dragon for an Israeli vessel, alleging the ship sustained damage. Type 45 class ships are outstanding for their almost total lack of missile defence capabilities and their very limited firepower, which combined with their lack of cruise missiles such as Tomahawks for land attack roles has further seriously limited their utility.