THE world’s most advanced warship will put to sea for the first time on July 18, four years after she was laid down.

Shipwrights, engineers and electricians are adding the finishing touches to HMS Daring – the first of Britain’s next-generation air defence destroyers – ready for the most important test yet in her brief life.

The Type 45 warship is currently sitting in dry dock at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun yard on the Clyde (where the majority of her was built and fitted out; her mast and bow were produced by the VT Group in Portsmouth).

Engineers from BAE plus Daring’s ship’s company will take the destroyer to sea for initial sea trials off the Scottish west coast before bringing her back up the Clyde for continuing trials and tests (the ship will not be formally handed over to the Royal Navy until the end of next year).

“All eyes will be on Daring as she heads out to sea for the first time,” said BAE’s head of Surface Fleet Solutions Vic Emery.

“This is a very exciting period – we will finally get the opportunity to see exactly what Daring is made of.”

Experts are already getting to see what new landing support ship RFA Lyme Bay is made of.

The fourth and last of the Bay class, ordered by Whitehall to replace the venerable ‘Knights of the Round Table’, sailed past Daring and Dauntless at Scotstoun to begin sea trials.

“There’s nothing quite like watching your work sail off for the first time,” said Allan Smith, ship manager for BAE.