HMS Dagger has completed her first overseas visit since commissioning last July by visiting Tangier, Morocco. 

A statement from the MOD follows below:

The most recent surface ship commissioned into the Royal Navy has conducted her first port  visit away from her base port of HMNB Gibraltar. 

This extremely successful visit is the first time either Cutlass-Class vessel has visited a port  other than Gibraltar where they are permanently based as part of the Royal Navy Gibraltar  Squadron. 

Deploying from HMNB Gibraltar, the 40nm transit through the Strait of Gibraltar was little  work for HMS DAGGER which has a top speed of over 40kts thanks to her three waterjets  and Volva Penta engines. HMS DAGGER and her crew received a hearty welcome on their  arrival into Tangier by the local authorities and the Marine Royale, the Moroccan Navy. 

HMS DAGGER’s visit, albeit short, had a big impact and has opened the door for more visits  to Tangier and elsewhere. The Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron are aiming to expand this  relationship to include drills at sea with the Cutlass-Class Royal Navy Patrol Launch and the  Marine Royale patrol vessels based at Tangier to improve the interoperability between the  two services.  

The Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron has previously visited Tangier a couple of times a year,  including supporting the November Remembrance weekend, however, COVID-19  restrictions and thereafter, the complexities with commissioning a new class of vessel had  put these visits on pause.  

HMS DAGGER’s Commanding Officer said: “Everyone assumes that the Royal Navy  Gibraltar Squadron are on a permanent tether to the Rock. Although our main tasking is  protecting the sovereignty of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, conducting wider regional  engagement with our allies as part of a global, modern and ready navy, is also extremely  important.” 

HMS CUTLASS and HMS DAGGER are state-of-the-art vessel’s purpose built for operating  within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters to demonstrate and protect the UK’s sovereignty of  Gibraltar. The Squadron operates at extremely high readiness 365 days a year. 

“HMS DAGGER was given a fantastic welcome by our Moroccan friends and the Royal Navy  Gibraltar Squadron are already looking forward to our next visit later this year.”