For the very first time a Royal Navy Destroyer – HMS Exeter – is on display at the Collins Stewart London Boat Show at ExCeL. The Type 42 vessel is moored outside on the Show’s marina, and according to Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Brown, will be “open to visitors throughout the Show to allow members of the public the chance to explore the ship, see the bridge and the flight deck”.

HMS Exeter is the seventh Type 42 Destroyer and the fifth ship to hold the name. The current HMS Exeter has a distinguished history having served in the Falklands War (1982) and the first Gulf War (1991) and is credited with being the last ship to engage enemy aircraft during the Falklands War. It is also the only remaining serving ship left in the Fleet that was involved in the conflict.

She has undertaken 14 major deployments since launching in 1978, visiting the Falkland Islands, the Arabian Gulf, the Adriatic and the Far East. In 2004 she visited the War Grave of the old HMS Exeter that was sunk in the Java Sea (1942) and in more recent years docked in Cork, Algiers, Casablanca, Lisbon, Norway, Amsterdam and now London. The ship has a complement of 260 men and women and, while living conditions on board are fairly confined, all personnel enjoy modern creature comforts, such as TV, DVD and Hi-Fi!

Andrew Williams, National Boat Shows Managing Director, added: “We’re pleased to welcome HMS Exeter to our prestigious Collins Stewart London Boat Show. A destroyer is an impressive addition and being at ExCeL enables us to display a vessel of such size and importance – as well as offering show visitors the chance to climb aboard.”