Britain's Royal Navy is set to deploy a new state-of-the-art warship to the South Atlantic in a move it said was unconnected to the current tension with Argentina over the Falkland Islands, dpa reported. HMS Dauntless, a Type 45 destroyer, is due to set sail for the South Atlantic on her maiden mission in the coming months to replace frigate HMS Montrose, the Ministry of Defence in London said. Officials said the deployment was long planned, however, and not a riposte to tensions over the sovereignty of the islands between Britain and Argentina. A Royal Navy spokesman rejected suggestions that the decision to send the ultra-modern destroyer to the region represented an escalation of Britain's position. "The Royal Navy has had a continuous presence in the South Atlantic for many years. The deployment of HMS Dauntless to the South Atlantic has been long planned, is entirely routine and replaces another ship on patrol," he said.
