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Guernsey's affiliated warship won't be back in service before the Spring of 2026 at the earliest - with ongoing maintenance and upgrading work keeping her in Portsmouth.
HMS Daring is a Type 45 Destroyer which entered service in 2009.
She has previously visited Guernsey, but by 2017 she needed a refit.
That work is ongoing - at the cost of millions of pounds - to ensure she can remain in service until 2040 at least.
Pictured (l-r): Warrant Officer Marine Engineer David Cannon and Lieutenant Lewis Young; Deputy Marine Engineering Officer Ships for HMS Daring.
"At the moment, HMS Daring is currently regenerating with a PIP upgrade, that's a propulsion power upgrade in Portsmouth, and that's where she's at the moment, and she's been there for a few years," explained Lieutenant Lewis Young; Deputy Marine Engineering Officer Ships for HMS Daring, who has been in Guernsey for the past few days.
"A propulsion upgrade is a large upgrade for the ship, but what it also encompasses is a large amount of other work for the auxiliary systems to actually provide the habitability for the platform," he said. "So although we have upgraded the propulsion system, what we need to do now is focus on the fact that we have a lot of auxiliary systems in order to get the ship back to sea and operations again.
"We are looking at an operational window of Quarter 1 20,26 to have the ship ready to go to sea, and to provide operations. In terms of what operations it will be, I have no idea. They haven't been earmarked yet, but it will be dependent on the geopolitical state of the world at that point in time."
Lieutenant Young was in Guernsey with Warrant Officer Marine Engineer David Cannon, representing HMS Daring at events to mark the King's official birthday.
They also met island dignitaries and sea cadets as part of the relationship between HMS Daring and the island.
Pictured: This week's visit to Guernsey was arranged through Mike Spiller. The retired naval officer is HMS Daring's affiliation liaison in the island.
While it was Lieutenant Young's first trip to Guernsey as part of Daring's crew, Warrant Officer Cannon has been here before - initially on her first visit post commission in 2009.
At 15 years old Daring is not an old ship but the extensive work she is currently undergoing will prolong her lifespan, explained Lieutenant Young.
"In terms of a ship's life span, it's not a an old ship. This type of Destroyer were designed to project a lifespan out to 2040ish. Going forward, that might change, they might extend, but that's certainly what the whole form is looked at to provide.
"Having maintenance throughout its life is not unheard of, and neither is upgraded propulsion at the same time to provide that further functionality. The requirements were changed from the initial design and build effectively."
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