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By Jason Moore

THE Royal Navy may not have many ships but it is certainly good at “spin” and “propaganda.” The announcement that the destroyer Dauntless was going to be sent to the Falklands has caused a major incident with Argentina. You would have thought that Britain was sending a dozen ships rather than a single warship. Now Dauntless is one of the new Type 45 destroyers built to replace the Type 42s, two of which were sunk during the Falklands war (Sheffield and Coventry). She has a crew of 190 men and women and has a powerful missile system. At the end of the day she is a single ship with limited capability. But the Royal Navy have managed to give the impression that she is far more than she really is. Just two months ago her sister ship, Daring, was sent to the Gulf at a time when there was much sabre rattling involving Iran. Once again she was billed as a super-ship and the message was broadcast across the world. When Daring visited Gibraltar earlier this month even the Spanish media said that she was a super-destroyer. Full marks to the Royal Navy, who once again is punching above its weight and making the most of its limited resources. But a note of caution. The Navy can punch above its weight until it gets into a fight with a heavyweight and then its limited resources will be clear to everyone to see. It is a very dangerous game to play especially when you have very limited resources or capabilities.