National Boat Shows (NBS) is delighted to confirm that HMS Exeter, a Royal Navy Destroyer, will be at the 2008 Collins Stewart London Boat Show at ExCeL.  This is the very first time a Royal Navy Destroyer has been present at the Show, and the Type 42 vessel will be moored outside on the Show’s marina in the Royal Victoria Dock. 

HMS Exeter is the seventh Type 42 Destroyer and the fifth ship to hold the name.  The current HMS Exeter has a distinguished history to date 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 with a Surface to Air Missile during Falklands War.  It is also the only remaining serving ship left in the Fleet that was involved in the conflict.

Travelling the globe from her homeport of Portsmouth, HMS Exeter has undertaken 14 major deployments since first commissioning.  She has visited areas of the World such as 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 (in 1942) and visited exotic places such as Chennai, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City Shanghai, Hong Kong and many others.

In more recent years HMS Exeter has visited Cork, Algiers, Casablanca, Lisbon, Norway, Amsterdam and this year took part in the Falkland Island 25 commemorations by visiting many cities in England, Wales and Scotland.  HMS Exeter is currently deployed in the Mediterranean and is conducting exercises with other navies and taking part in Maritime Security Operations and will return to Portsmouth at the end of November, before its visit to London in January.

HMS Exeter was launched on 25 April 1978 and forms the backbone of the Fleet’s anti-air warfare capability, but is also well equipped to deal with surface and sub-surface threats.  The ship has a complement of 260 men and women and, while living conditions on board are comfortable but confined, all personnel enjoy modern creature comforts, such as TV, DVD and Hi-Fi, along with a hard working galley that provides upwards of 800 meals per day.

The Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Brown, Royal Navy, says: “I am delighted to be bringing HMS Exeter to the Collins Stewart London Boat Show at ExCeL. The ship 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".

Andrew Williams, NBS 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 and explore."

Since 2004, when the Show moved to ExCeL, the Royal Navy has worked with boat show organiser, National Boat Shows to bring a number of frigates to the Show. The popularity of these show features is borne out year after year as around 25,000 visitors explore the ship throughout the 10 days of the Show.

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For more information, please contact the NBS Press Office team at Publicasity on 020 7632 2432 or boatshow@publicasity.co.uk
 
NOTES TO EDITORS
• High resolution pictures are available upon request
• The 2008 Collins Stewart London Boat Show in association with the Daily Mail is organised by National Boat Shows Ltd (NBS). NBS, which also organises the Southampton Boat Show in association with ITV Meridian, is a subsidiary of the British Marine Federation (BMF), the trade association for the UK boating industry
• Collins Stewart has offices in London, New York, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Dublin, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Tokyo and Mumbai. Collins Stewart is the largest private client stock broking and portfolio management business in the Channel Islands and is one of the UK's leading wealth managers for private clients, trusts, charities and private companies and private companies
• Publications can offer readers £3 off the normal day door price.  To give away tickets in a competition or to arrange the discount, please call the Boat Show team on 020 7632 2432
• The 2007 Collins Stewart London Boat Show was awarded ‘Exhibition of the Year’ Award at the Trade Association Forum Awards