One day ahead of the 30<sup>thAnniversary of the ten week Falkland Islands conflict, and Britain is sending another one of the Royal Navy's newest and most powerful warships from Portsmouth to the Islands

The boat sailed gracefully through the water as scores of well-wishers lined the walls of the harbour waving and cheering as HMS Dauntless, the second of the British navy's Type 45 air defence destroyers, left the naval base on its maiden mission.

A Royal Navy spokesman said the deployment of the destroyer to the South Atlantic is a "pre-planned and routine" deployment to replace the frigate HMS Montrose which is currently there.

Britain has controlled the islands since 1833. But Argentina has claimed the territory - which it calls the Malvinas. Since the discovery of oil off the Falklands, relations have been their chilliest for years, with Argentina threatening to sue companies involved in oil.