DRAGON Ready – The Type 45 Destroyer DRAGON, en route to the East of Suez deployment visited the NATO base at Souda Bay on the north shore of Crete, which is home to a specialist training complex for boarding teams and FORACS (FORces sensors and weapons Accuracy Check Site) which tests the myriad of sensors, communications, radars and sonars to ensure that they are in full working order, allowing NATO ships to pass crucial information to each other accurately.   Next stop the Suez Canal,

The Royal Navy has been using the ranges at Souda Bay since 1984 – on this occasion the Boarding Team of the DRAGON hit the water with Greek Forces to hone their skills, and the embarked LYNX HMA.8 made the short flight to Chania airfield, home to the Hellenic Air Force’s 115 Fighter Wing.   The Royal Navy has had a long involvement with the island of Crete prior to 1984, not least during the Second World War!