Wrexham gifted Royal Navy battleship ‘HMS Dragon’ in Portsmouth ceremony

The city of Wrexham has been been gifted Royal Navy battleship ‘HMS Dragon’.

Wrexham’s Member of Parliament, Sarah Atherton MP joined Commanding Officer Iain Giffin for a handover ceremony, alongside the Mayor of Wrexham, the Chief Executive and Leader of Wrexham Council and Wrexham Council’s Armed Forces Champion at a ceremony in Portsmouth earlier this week.

During the ceremony, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff presented the Mayor of Wrexham with the HMS Dragon ‘cap and scroll’.

Prior to this, the Type 45 Destroyer was affiliated with Cardiff but as there will soon be a new Type 26 Frigate, HMS Cardiff, Dragon has been twinned with Wrexham.

Ms Atherton has been working alongside Wrexham Council’s Armed Forces Champion to bring the project to fruition for more than 12 months.

Separately, Ms Atherton has been lobbying the Ministry of Defence to secure formal affiliation between the newly established City of Wrexham and a Royal Navy ship.

HMS Dragon is one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 air defence destroyers. Its main role is air defence: providing protection to fellow ships by detecting, interrogating, and neutralising enemy threats with the Sea Viper anti-air missile system.

Numbering more than 200, the crew of HMS Dragon is made up of Aircrewmen, Weapons Engineers, Communications Technicians and more.

Affiliations between warships and local communities are a time-honoured tradition, with the connections serving as symbols of unity and mutual support.

All major Royal Navy ships have affiliations as part of a long-standing custom that binds their crews to the land via a network of relationships which spread across the United Kingdom.

Sarah Atherton MP commented: “I have dedicated over a year to securing Wrexham a ship that reflects our growing status as Wales’ newest city.

“Drawing on my military connections, I am thrilled that Wrexham now boasts its very own Royal Navy battleship, HMS Dragon.

Wrexham, with its proud military heritage and a large veterans community, including myself, and our City will undoubtedly welcome this announcement and it is an exciting time for all who will serve on board.”

Kevin Hackett – Chairman of Wrexham Royal Naval Association said: “Although far from the sea, Wrexham has always had strong naval connections, with many veterans who have served and a very active Royal Naval Association.

“I am so proud today that Wrexham at last has its own ship, HMS Dragon.

“This is exciting for our new City, and we look forward to giving a warm Wrexham welcome to Dragon ship’s company in the future, as I was welcomed many years ago.”