The former USS Boone, a decommissioned American frigate, has arrived in Scotland and will soon be sunk as part of an exercise involving missiles being fired from a British frigate.

A local source told me that the vessel arrived in Campbeltown in western Scotland today after being towed to Scotland from Philadelphia in the US.

Additionally, another source not wishing to be named has told me that HMS Westminster will fire at least one Harpoon anti-ship missile at the USS Boone, but the ‘SINKEX’ will be run by the Americans as the main aim of the exercise will be to “test a new US targeting satellite”.

The former USS Boone is currently at Campbeltown’s NATO POL depot, that’s just an acronym for a petroleum, oils and lubricants depot. Built during the 1960s to NATO specification, the depots situated at Garelochhead (adjacent to the Clyde Naval Base), Loch Striven (near Dunoon), Loch Ewe (in Wester Ross) and Campbeltown provide a mainly maritime fuelling facility for visiting UK & NATO vessels.

What is a SINKEX?

The term ‘Sink Exercise’ or ‘SINKEX’ is undertaken typically to test a weapons system usually involving a torpedo or missile attack on an unmanned target ship. The US Navy uses SINKEXs to train its sailors on the usage of modern-day weapons, and these exercises are also used to dispose of decommissioned warships.

When is this happening, and where?

September, but the location is currently not public information.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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77 COMMENTS

    • Yes I saw that too, looked like she had her full quota of 8. I suspect that in such a potentially dangerous area they felt they needed to fully arm her…

      • It was always standard procedure in the RN to put to sea fully prepared to be diverted to a conflict. Unfortunately the stockpiles of some missiles no longer allow this. Which is a bit worrying when wartime consumption as demonstrated in Ukraine will be in the hundreds if not thousands.

  2. That looks like a Oliver Hazard Perry to my, average at best, US warship ID skills?

    Good to see those important POL depots getting a mention.

    • Yep OHP with just about everything removed off of the upper deck. No POL, PCB transformers on board. Welded up hatches and doors…should take a fair amount of damage before a sub breaks its back with a torp and it goes glug, glug , glug.

      so probably Harpoon .B52 launched weapons…probably some F35 and whatever surface and sub surface assets can add.

      • Perhaps an opportunity to invite contenders for “Son of ISSGW” procurement program to a live-fire demo/competition? Great fun for the whole family and no one dies. 😊

    • Ooh that will be fun. I never knew the harpoon launchers could be mounted separately like that. I always assumed the launchers were just a block that holds 4 missiles.
      Fingers crossed the navy just get new harpoons. Anything else will probably be more expensive and complicated. They are only needed until 2030ish.
      Anyone know the last time a ship was sunk near the U.K. ( on purpose)

        • I was on Sceptre when we sank the Brave out at AUTEC in ’04, it got towed out there to the Bahamas (Brave, Sceptre made it out itself 😉) and it was straffed by small arms then 4.5’s before we put a sub-harpoon into the hanger before breaking its back with a Spearfish. There was some quite good video through the periscope.

          I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before on here but Brave was a bezzy oppo’s first draft so I took get pleasure in telling him the submarine service had sunk it. Immature…. moi…..

          • Totally off-topic but you mentioned the Bahamas and roused my curiosity: Are the crews of the SSNs typically afforded as many port calls and as much shore leave as, for example, the surface fleet? Could argue the case either way–the assets are few, missions usually classified and high priority but at the same time, RN and USN probably desire to preserve morale in all volunteer Navies. Realize the crews of the boomers are totally screwed re leave. Understand if no one is permitted to answer question.

          • Hi mate, SSN’s generally don’t get as many runs ashore as the surface fleet for a number of reasons, the ‘running’ SSN’s do mean you’re usually at sea for longer periods, cost plays a part too, you need a Z berth for a nuclear boat and due to the lack of beds/facilities the crew get put up in 4 star (plus) hotels. Then there’s the subsistence allowance… 😎 While SSN’s generally get less jollies, they’re usually a ‘fancier’ run ashore. As for the Bombers (Boomers), for the Brits is the charming Kings Bay as their only real jolly.

            I was lucky enough to spend most my time on SSN’s and managed to tick quite a few of the regular spots off, Singapore, Bermuda, P Can, Gib (of course) and some not so common ones like Aqaba but you put a whack of sea time to get them.

            Hope that helps.

      • Id prefer the NSM as a replacement, and I think we’ve started negotiations on procurement. Has there been any more news on this?

      • If good value for money maybe the can then kit out the whole fleet of T23/45s not just getting 5 sets. Or jump over to the NSM? I think the Harpoon is over a $1 million dollar firecracker so still alot of bucks for a bang!

        • Or this could be a test of Harpoon upgraded to current block?

          And it might be getting targeting from the new shiny satellite?

          And it might be able to meet rules of engagement with the added satellite and upgraded sensors….and two ways comms link?

          Now I’m just waiting for someone to pop up and tell me Harpoon is a 1980’s weapon. Quite a lot has changed in the digital world since 1980’s.

          • Yes, there’s got to be a good reason for the shoot off, surely? Lol. And then we have to wait for any constructive outcome.

          • For sure it won’t be done for fun but to test something particular.

            These things are expensive to organise.

          • Hi Steve, I think you mean … NSMs for the T23/T45/T31s, and T23s retiring, T26s will likely get silo AShMs. But we get your drift… Lol 😁 Sorry if I have got you wrong.

    • And if my memory is correct Boone is mentioned in multiple Tom Clancy books.
      In my opinion the Oliver Hazards Perry’s are out there with the Type 23 for looks, lovely hull lines and some of the best looking vessels at speed the way both classes bow waves roll off gives the visual impression of an extra 10kts more.

      • I remember one of the characters starts off as a Captain on a Knox class frigate. He then goes on to command the Perry class frigate USS Reuben James. While in company with HMS Battleaxe, the British warship signals her “what on earth is a Reuben James” to which the Americans reply “at least we don’t name our warships after our mother in law”

          • I should have said that the quote came from Red Storm Rising. It was a great book but I thought his fiction books went downhill after that. He did produce some terrific non-fiction books about the US military. They’re out of date now but were well worth a read.

            On his book about the US Navy he was very complimentary about the Royal Navy with whom he spent some time. He said that US warships were far better equipped than their RN equivalents but that US officers were very technocrat with a good understanding of how their ships worked whereas their RN counterparts understood far more about tactics and how to fight their ships. He said his ideal navy would be US ships with RN crews!

  3. USN should have kept the Perry class ships and never built the LCS class of ships. The Perry was a tough little frigate proven in combat. Would have been even better with upgraded weapons and systems.

    • Maybe built new Perry class, the current batch would be absolute mess if still in service and doing us navy tempo. Look at state of some of those Tico cruisers still in service for too long.

    • The ships are from the 70s, they can’t serve endlessly. But I agree that they should have gone for more conventional frigates and not gone for the Freedom or Independence classes. I hope the Constellation class will deliver what the USN very much needs.

      • Most were built in the ’80’s, really meant as convoy escorts. The whole Littoral mission got a bit too popular this century. The LCS are a complete disaster. Hopefully we let the Italians build the FREMM Constellation ships without too much interference.

    • The LCS is a total disaster. If I remember rightly it was a concept dreamed up under Defence Secretary Rumsfeld (who might be the worst politician in recent US history). He was obsessed with technology so programmes had to show a quantum leap in technology over the equipment that they replaced. Hence you got programmes like the LCS which is a technological solution to solve a problem that didn’t exist.

      For the money the USN could have had a large number of conventional frigates giving it a proper ASW vessel instead of relying on Arleigh Burke destroyers for that which are ill suited for that mission.

    • Great affordable frigates Dan, designed and built in the 70’s and 80’s as a relatively cheap force multiplier for the USN.

      One of the best GP frigate designs, we can hope our T31 ends up being the OHP class of the 21st century.

    • Sell a 100 bring your own boat ticket and few thousand need a boat tickets and stick them all on QE/POW.
      Probably sell enough to build an extra T31

  6. Should we really be firing off one of our few remaining in service harpoons, especially as we’ve not sorted a procurement for a replacement yet. I know the out of service date is 23-24 but Babcock were asked to give an option to keep them in service until 2027.

    • Hi Jonathans,

      My understanding is that they have to fire live rounds from time to time to maintain certification. Not sure if that requirement is for every ship so equipped or if one ship firing certifies the fleet? I think each ship has to do a live firing, but could be wrong, in which case from comments in this thread there would be 3x T23’s needing to fire a Harpoon missile once a year, I think. (Me memory ain’t what it used to be so perhaps someone else can confirm.)

      Cheers CR

  7. The OHP’s were built despite some peoples (in the USN) aversion to 2nd rate ships. But they ended up being not only cheap to build, but good all-rounders and rather hard to sink. Its an ugly class in many ways, but at same time a master class in simplicity. SM1’s, Harps, Mk46/50/54s (lets not get into a Mk54 debate again). It’s what the Type 31 needs be concept wise.

    • I always thought of them as the USN take on the utility escort, but more successful than the RN Type 14 (remember them?) I agree they turned out better than the detractors expected.

      • The type 14 is a reminder that frigates don’t have to be as big as destroyers Exmouth was fitted with a gas turbine and it was considered a big success a modern ship built in a similar size with the latest tec I think be a big step forward. Let’s face it, the type and now the 26 are easily designated as destroyers. There is a dockyard myth about the painter of the pennant number of the brave accidentally painted a ‘D’ Instead of the correct ‘F’ and that he was never seen again!

        • Fair points, and a number of navies are going down that route eg the German Braunschweig class of corvettes which are essentially the same size and speed as the River B2 but with a greater emphasis on weaponry. Re designation I think some thought the County class destoyers were in effect Dido replacements as AA screen for a CG and should have been cruisers.

  8. I spent a week on the Boone back in the mid 2000s. Not the best looking ship I’ve been on, but I do remember getting a decent breakfast. Might have to drive down the coast to see her one last time.

    • Would be nice, but I expect the RAF will just fly the F35’s up from Marham. If Prince of Wales is in the area perhaps they might land on just to get some practice in…

      Cheers CR

    • I disagree. I think that if one has a limited budget FFBNW is entirely appropriate. Fitting missiles to a ship doesn’t take nearly as long as building the hull. If i had the choice, in the position of the RN, of 8 properly armed warships and 10 insufficiently-armed but similarly large warships or 11 properly armed warships I would take the former option any day. The 11 comes from the cost of three extra Type 26s, which would be equivalent to the combined cost of the entire Type 31 and 32 classes. If we enter a state of war, or entry into it becomes likely (not from independent analysis but from MI6 or DefIntel) then it would take a matter of weeks to find spare NSM canistre-launched systems that are, for example, bolted on to a US ship that is currently in a long refit. At that point, we and our allies would move into total war economies and new systems would be produced by the time the US ships were deployed again.

      • We don’t have a limited budget. We just spend it on the wrong things;

        £1bn on Nimrod AEW
        £3.4bn on Nimrod MR4
        £5bn on Ajax
        £250m on a National Ship

        Just a few examples off the top of my head

        • Everyone has a limited budget. That’s the definition of a budget. Firstly, only one of those has anything to do with the navy. That’s the National Flagship. As a note, I don’t believe this is at all a waste of money since 250m GBP is a very small amount for what will gain us a lot of diplomatic prestige and influence. The truth is, I’ve often worked with politicians, from different countries like the US, Britain, India and even Russia. People may say that the ship is nostalgic nonsense reminiscent of the days of empire. Perhaps. But the fact is that people like gimmicks. Getting invited to a meeting at the palatial British Embassy in Tokyo or Washington or wherever else we have good embassies (there are many) is pleasant enough to a diplomat but its not particularly unique as he has probably been to some American or Chinese one that is equally spectacular. However, getting invited to a yacht is more memorable, as well as highlighting that we are a maritime nation. My support for the National Flagship aside, if we had those extra 8.65bn to spend on ships, I’d still take a combination of properly-armed Type 26s and less well-armed Type 31/32s. The Type 26s ensure we have some firepower for the first few weeks, and then once we arm the 31/32s we can deliver greater numbers than we could if we only went for the 26s.

          • It’s all money from defence budget that has been wasted.

            A National Ship is not a priority when you have warships that aren’t properly equipped

  12. Usually only way these ships are finally sunk is with a torpedo from a submarine. Bombs and missiles might render them useless but breaking their backs is what sends them to the bottom. We need more submarines, that’s what we need

  13. I wonder what this new us targeting satellite is, done form of radar satellite tracking surface ships? Very Tom Clancy.

    • The US has all kinds of ways to test the ability of their satellites. Why would they use an obsolete stationary ship to do so? I think the test of a new satellite is from someone who has read too many Tom Clancy novels.

  14. High time we celebrated the Russian navy’s long tradition, still fully upheld by the BSF. Always been crap, and not about to relinquish that record any time soon…….

    • Indeed. If you read about those Chinese-Russian exercises in the Far East apparently the PF didn’t perform so well either.

      • Rust ain’t that much of a Hazard, though, Andy. Still, probably make more sense for Putin to donate them to the SINKEX – the Perrys’ are always getting in the neck. He’ll have to hurry, though, before the Ukrainians collar the market.

    • I woundnt have thought we handed over any Harpoons, as we were low on stock anyway. Denmark was one country who donated theres

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