HMS Audacious has completed her second Mediterranean patrol, conducting maritime security operations for the UK and her NATO allies, say the Royal Navy.
The boat – normally based at Faslane on the Clyde, but operating out of NATO’s base in Souda Bay, Crete, for the past six months – has been working alongside NATO surface ships on Operation Sea Guardian, monitoring tankers and cargo vessels.
According to a Royal Navy press release, it is one of the alliance’s premier missions, building up a detailed picture of movements – regular and irregular – in the busiest sea lanes, sharing the intelligence gathered in real time with NATO authorities.
“The unique abilities of the Astute-class submarine means the boat can remain submerged at periscope depth, take 360-degreee images in an instant – day or night – and then return to the depths to pore over the photographs captured at leisure. Such visual capture of contacts of interest is just one of the methods of intelligence gathering HMS Audacious’ 98 crew can exploit from the boat’s impressive suite of sensors.
When not assigned to Sea Guardian, Audacious, which is the fourth boat in the Astute class, has been honing her anti-submarine warfare skills with the Italian Navy, in particular its frigate ITS Carlo Margottini. After six months of near continuous operations, Audacious returned to Souda Bay to undergo maintenance – not just on the hi-tech sensors and systems inside the boat, but her hull as well.
As with all ships, barnacles grow on the side and underwater – especially the case when moving slowly or in warmer waters; the central Mediterranean in high summer is roughly twice as warm as Audacious’ home on the Clyde. Specialist divers were flown out from the UK, running over the entire length of the submarine’s 97-metre-long hull with what is effectively a giant, heavy duty dental hygienist’s tooth polisher – the bristles on the brushes strong enough to sweep away barnacles, but not too firmly that the black tiles which cover Audacious and are key to her stealth are not damaged or dislodged.”
That`s a surprise!Bit like saying trawlers caught fish.Wowee
Chip. Zizzle.
I like fries please.
Oh, hang on, you lost your McDonald’s branches in Moscow. 🐮
Crushing in so many ways.
Britains crushing defeat in the Battle of Bretton Woods condemned Britain to a second rate status You can thank Churchill for that.The formerly preeminent RN is miniscule and relies entirely on the victor— America for any effectiveness it has.The UK has an ambition to field 74 F35s against Americas paltry 2456 But then again there are none so blind as those who cannot see.Have you never wondered how and why this came about?McDonalds hahaha.That shows the extent of your servitude to
Uncle Sugar🐒💩
How bitter is that? Great Britain is a geographic term – a big island, not a grandiose boast. The British have never been a major power. In the Napoleonic period Blighty had a population of 10 million; France together with Spain, had 44 million. At various times the Royal Navy was not pre-eminent; but it had persistence and that counts. Formerly there was an empire but after the Commonwealth replaced this, many countries have their own forces now; you may have noticed the contribution of Australia, Canada and New Zealand in two world conflicts and several later peace keeping operations… Read more »
Bravo!
Only the English would think the English language was our crowning achievement.
In Scotland it’s a toss up between antibiotics, industrialisation or whisky
I lean to the later 😀
Then don’t use ‘our’ language. You will be easier to ignore. Incidentally, Scots were up front when it came to spreading English around the globe.
Sorry does your “language” include the use of emoji’s? In that it’s a joke, like dry your eyes. Also little known fact the majority of Scotland’s population is from the area south of the Forth which was Angle so it’s our language too.
‘A little known fact’ I learned more than half a century ago. Get over yourself.
That’s very true actually after all much of it was Northumberland originally and southern Scots were (until recent times at least) more closely genetically related to the English than they were the highland Scots so it is all a little complex in reality. And then there’s the bloody Reivers …aah we could go on all day I guess with identities and cross identities but hair doesn’t wash itself.
It was the English empire not the British one.
If Scotland just spoke Gaelic it might save a lot of bother
Well as antibiotics was really down to a New Zealander I guess it’s one or the other of the other two. And thinking of all the Global Warming I too might go in the direction of Whisky or is it Whiskey. Actually I think self parody is pretty high up the list and something most non Brits rarely get.
Control the language you control the debate: the English language comes with a whole canon of writing, thinking and literature, as do other languages such as French, which also has it’s own canon and assumptions. Which is why the kermits wring their hands when English displaces French.
We’ve never got the hang of how to get those dresses on!
You would definitely be leaning after a few.
Better than the Americans who believe that the history of their nation began with their civil war!
Ditto
Same could be said of the Spanish Empire ,Portuguese Empire,Ashoka Empire,Chin et al.India was not unified by Britain it was unified by the Moguls and long before that Ashoka.Britain raped and pillaged India.The East India Company was the largest company that has ever existed to date.
Cat shit breath, you have no clue, little boy on a Putin leash!
Not so much to laugh about at the moment is there?
Do you prefer ice cream or I scream?
You can’t argue with sheer scale, population and industrial might. The post war monetary system was always going to be dominated by the US. Every country in the world uses it, as does whatever country you are from. Quite how this diminishes the UK, then or now, I have no idea. Pegging the system to the USD was always more preferable than being forced to use the DM!
Considering about a third of the value of the US economy was somewhat owned or financed over here pre war and mostly surrendered in payment of lend lease, just imagine how we (or to be precise the rich and ruling classes I guess) might have shared in that post war boom across the pond. Geez even JP Morgan originated in London.
This is a stupid debate stop it and move on, this is a bull poo subject.
You are comparing chalk and cheese. Any nation compared to the world’s only superpower will seems ‘second rate’. That does not mean ‘no good’ – it just means smaller.
like to think we are amongst the best of the second rate nations.
Considering our size even if we have just dropped below India now in size of economy, it’s still pretty impressive I guess. Especially when compared to the largest Country on the planet having an economy smaller than Italy … and shrinking. Just wish with the second biggest money market we were more inclined to invest in innovation and British ingenuity rather than safe bets and property for the most part. So much great work going on presently in technology and space innovation with a very green edge to it in many cases here, yet it barely gets any publicity nor… Read more »
Everyone should buy British and show more pride about who we are and what we bring to the table in everything
Only superpower? What comic does that come out of?
You think there is more than one superpower? You might be in the minority there. Who is it or who are they?
China? The country is still developing a globally deployable bluewater navy. Aircraft carrier operation is still in its infancy. Its armed forces have little combat experience. Don’t think they have overseas bases. It has low GDP per capita and poor human development indices. Its economy has been wobbly for a few years now, with growth rates nothing like they were.
Alan Sugar? Don’t be taken in, it’s all for show mate can’t believe you think he’s taken seriously. As for Karren Brady she’s no better tbh Im shocked you are so easily fooled, seriously that show’s about as real as Basil Brushki.
Chip on both shoulders.
At least it makes her level headed (worst joke of the day).
Sugar??!
Hahahaha very good👍
It is a pleasure to follow you and your fellow contributors over the last few years especially for the astute and artful comments when you ambush trolls like John in MK
Good to see Audacious in Agamennon’s backyard but should be a couple more after Agincourt named maybe accurate arrow
Pity we don’t have someone like Lord Anson as P:M in charge who transformed the RN
Sorry boys🙂
He had deeper pocket’s
Couldd`t you even pick an example from British culture o brainwashed one.McDonalds is American culture!!!!!!not British.
🐒💩👚
God bless the Qeen.Honi soit qui mal y pense
Both McDonalds and British culture are all just offshoots of Scotland in the end. 😀
Delusional. Is the man in the next bed to yours Napoleon?
No, napoleon was not Scottish, I believe he was Corsican if that helps.
Italian.
Belgian?
No his name is Neil
😀
Aarggh!!!!!stoppit please.
Using more than one exclamation mark is a sure sign of approaching insanity.
!!!!!!
Junk culture
Being overweight, rude and arrogant are American culture as well
Curry sauce in mine
Best to stay quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
😂
👏👏
Oh how the hear huddle together!
🐒💩
I’ve also cannot resist gripping you about your spelling and grammar! FFS it’s pathetic, hard to understand exactly what you are trying to say, something like “ you love Jimmy Saville”? Is that right?
Always liked his hair and cigars.👎
As you`ve just proven o medieval one.
You’ve another couple of years to go in your English language classes, but in the interim, we’ll sit back here and laugh at your efforts. 😊
Which is best, four candles or fork handles ?
Who is
we? O medieval buffoonI wager you`ve never heard of the Battle of Bretton Woods.🤣🤣🤣🙈
My case rests !!
What were the the
surrenderterms imposed on Britain subsequent to the Battle of Bretton WoodsPlease inform people Why should i do ALL the thinking.Youth in Asia or euthanasia??
Prints of Whales or Prince of Wales?
Wails 🤬
⚓🤣
Fork handles or four candles? 🐒💩
You are seriously out of date. The Bretton Woods system faded away during Vietnam. ‘We are all Keynesians now’ said President Nixon.
https://en dot wikipedia.org/wiki/We_are_all_Keynesians_now
Replace ‘dot’ with a full point (.)
Repetitive to say the least, stand by you deserve some monkey shit, 🐒💩 enjoy!
I once drove past Bretton Woods. Almost all that Keynes wished for came about. America asserted itself after 1945 as the country that had spent the most treasure if not blood for the Allied cause. The Bretton Woods system has been over for decades; Vietnam saw to that. The U.S. is stuck on the edge its own dollar Black Hole. We have Globalisation now. This has blurred the concept of a national superiority in finance and production. One American government adviser tells a nice story. Having decided to buy a Japanese car he was told this would look bad; so… Read more »
That’s a test for those that pretend to be of the UK!
Mr Moore is living in the stone age when it comes to economics. I suspect he thinks – wishes – Bretton Woods was an humiliation for the U.K and we ought to be nursing a grudge. We don’t – unlike the Celtic Fringe – dwell on such things, but get on with life. Today most historians and economists think Keynes was right on the subject of a world reserve currency; Bretton Woods eventually back fired on the U.S. economy, whose massive debts are held by other countries, not Americans.
He hasn’t actually got a clue what it was about, it’s another subject his handler has told him to push! He wouldn’t have a clue about reality anyway, just another sad bot troll who cannot even string a sentence together 👍
I do over do the lectures! You approach is shorter and much funnier. All best wishes.
No, no you don’t, keep it up as always informative and always interesting (with a sly bit of dry) 👍
I await even one of your lectures.I`ll give you ten years to see the bigger picture and produce one, o simpleton.
Ah young girls……your fav yes?
Seconded
Ah funny face!Adolph Zekelensky`s doxie.Straighten up and fly right.
And again….🐒💩!
I did not refer to the Bretton Woods System or anything as trivial as economics.I refer to POWER.The Battle of Bretton Woods led to a complete loss of British power across the world as evidenced in 1956,1968 and 1991 in which Britain was made a laughing stock.Which US president said this to which British Prime Minister(tape recorded)?”When i call you,you get here now,NOW!with your shirt tails flapping out of your pants,NOW” The user is always superior to the used and the master to the servant A bird in a gilded gage is never fully whole.”Better to reign in hell than… Read more »
Yaaaaaaawn
Should you not be selling T72 parts and lorry wheels on the Russian black market? The rest of your comrades are, it would be a pity to miss out on a few extra potatoes while you’re wasting your time posting unintelligible rubbish here. Probably all that you’re good for.
🤣🤣🤣
From the psychological aspect, the most interesting part about your comment is that you wish it was true. For if it were, why would you need to post it? Why, indeed, would an American President need to summon a British Prime Minister if this tiny island country were not somehow much more significant than in your estimate? That is the problem with all those who decry Blighty today or yesterday. It is still here and proving to be significant in world affairs. Oh, how you wish otherwise! Please do not resort to personal abuse because I never do. If you… Read more »
According to Winston Churchill the second world war was fought for “the power and prestige of GREAT Britain” There is no evidence to support your rediculous mumblings.
Closely followed by double Yaaaaaaawn
Buy British
🐒💩👛
Seconded oh profound one.
If wit was sh*t, you’d be constipated. If you don’t like what is reported on this very good site, why don’t you just bugger off?
Thank you for your cogent intellectual contribution.
🐒💩💩
Always a pleasure, never a chore.
Now f**k off!
😂
🐒💩
Deep fried Mars bar if you’re paying please.
Ddo they? So, do we need to spend so much money on patrol ships just to measure the size of Pedro’s fishing nets?
Considering the switch in operations from launching Tomahawk at suspected terrorist or rouge nation related targets, back to the very real possibility of full pier anti Submarine and surface warfare, must have made the SSN force switch up a gear in training …. Not that they ever let of the gas of course, but certainly a realignment of priorities within the training programme, must have occurred this year.
Very nice, it looks lovely in Souda bay.
The astute class really are lovely looking boats. The shaping instead of just round is meant to help with radar reflections I think. Looks lovely.
The crews that operate for months at a time in essentially a metal tube are a great bunch.
Let the barnacle scraping commence.
Oh I think I should of wrote sonar not radar.
Interesting to read that Ben Wallace has commissioned a review to consider if we have enough submarines! He is clearly impressed by what he’s learnt of the capabilities of an SSN, but also unimpressed by the inability for the current force (just 3 operational subs?) to deploy a boat in the event of a sudden urgent operational requirement. Deploying even one operational boat to Australia long-term will leave the remaining subs unable to do much else than escort SSBNs and the QEC. It’s crazy things have been allowed to get to this state. I did a media visit to BAE… Read more »
SSN’s are the dreadnoughts of the day. You can never have enough and we should build as many as a reasonable budget and the size of our industrial base allows. If the US is to ask us for anything in the coming decades as they face off against China, it won’t be an armoured division or even a carrier strike group, it will be as many SSN’s as we can send.
If all the money went on the Ssn number the surface fleet will suffer which is what’s happened since the RN were allowed to get away with saying that they would have all nuclear boats, and not conventional ones. The weak government should have told them.you will get what your told you will.
If you were up to speed you
d know Wallace didnt see the practicality of a 50% increase in the defence budget as Britain lacks the industrial capacity to utilise it,One of his questions is why does it take Britaib10 years to build a Type 23 when it only takes Japan 3 years to build the far larger and more capable MAYA class Aegis ships?Answer —–British inefficiency at anything other than talking.Did you get close to older family members as a child?…..
Answer the question.
Guess what, it’s time for your daily dose of….monkey shit 🐒💩
The percentage of the defence budget is immaterial if you don’t have the infrastructure to use it we need more shipyards to get ships built sooner
Strictly as a matter of curiosity, what criteria would dictate usage of Souda Bay vs. Gib? NATO vs. UK specific tasking? Area of ops? Other?
Her tasking has her operating in the Eastern Med, it’s some 2000NM back to Gib to replenish supplies. Just getting to and then back from Gib would take at least 10 days, so much more time in area if you use Souda.
Thanks, Deep. Logistics constraints are
typically unyielding. Does USN or RN ever practice RAS for submarines? Have never seen it mentioned in the open press. Is it even feasible, too hazardous, or simply not discussed?
A SM doing a RAS is normally a big no no.,far to dangerous an undertaking. To get stores down the boat you have to either A) Open the main access hatch – never a good idea at sea or B) Take stores down via the fin – very restrictive in terms of space/size. If push comes to shove SMs do conduct a high line transfer from the fin to get a person on/off, or use it to get a vital piece of kit down the SM. Using the fin severely restricts what size of kit you bring down. I’ve done… Read more »
Have some idea of the involuntary emotion generated during those seconds; encountered the “pucker factor” myself on several occasions during flight test sorties, while internally questioning the pilot’s judgment/sanity!
Numbers of mops are as important as missiles in the R.N always has been 🤬
Gib is neglected it’s strategic influence has lessened with the plummeting numbers of ships going there as a matelot and I loved the place, but now all the old sailors haunts are gone there are less ape’s than there was.
Would those be native British apes or interloper Spanish apes, and are they searched for contraband at the border? 😁
Is it a good idea to have a 7,000 ton SSN in the Med? I would argue no. The most important thing that an SSN has going for it is the freedom to manouevre, the Med does not give you that. First it is a closed sea and second it is not very deep added to that you have the issue of getting from the Western Med to the Eastern Med via a choke point. Then come the next set of issues, unlike the Atlantic that is murky, choppy and just at times down right misrable the Med has clear… Read more »
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/09/new-intelligence-russia-sends-nuclear-submarine-to-mediterranean/
I’m going with yes on that one. If Russia have one, maybe NATO having one to counter it is reasonable.
The Gotland class has dispelled many of the negative thoughts as per nuclear is conventional power
Scenario:. Mad Vlad and his merry band slobbering Orcs remain in a stalemate or are slowly losing territory into the autumn. Vlad decides to increase the ante by completely cutting off the supply of NG to Western Europe (WE), further orders surreptitious mine laying at all WE and Middle Eastern LNG terminals. Additionally, orders Russian Navy to plan, organize and signals intent to conduct unrestricted submarine warfare on LNG tankers in the Med and Atlantic. Gray zone or Article V actions? Understand NATO has two standing mine clearing flotillas; however, are there sufficient NATO assets to successfully conduct high tempo… Read more »
Good morning friends at UKDJ. Democracy has to have some limits. For example,one would never allow an Adolf Hitler a podium or other means to disseminate his evil views, but there has to be some point on the margin where the decision to censor is taken. Putin in my view is an individual at that point-should we allow him to try and justify his madness-I would really want to understand how and why he took the decision to brutalise his blood brothers and sisters in the Ukraine but then maybe he really is just mad? I still get angry thinking… Read more »
In response to A Moore’s provocative remarks regarding the Royal Navy I did some research and rankings vary widely according to what information is utilised. One list based on number of ships places the RN 42nd!! But then again includes Columbia and Finland in the Top Ten! Based on tonnage the RN was ranked 5th in 2014(only one I could find)-I should imagine it at least equals that today with the commissioning of the QE’s. The one that seemed to make the most sense included criteria based on capability,global reach,numbers, tonnage equipment, backup facilities etc and placed the RN at… Read more »
Yep, pretty much spot on geoff. You cannot rank navies on numbers.
👍
I wouldn’t bother wasting time trying to fact check anything that that shrieking half educated cretin vomits up. Methane from the pond life of a 10th rate Russian troll farm is all A. Moore is. You’d get better grammar and spelling from a monkey with a typewriter.
Good points Geoff. I am always bemused to look on the Global Firepower Index that the UK is only 8th – but countries above us include: Russia (poor performance of army and poor morale and poor quality equipment in many areas); China (does not have a Level 2 bluewater navy and has little combat experience); India (no L2 bluewater navy, much ageing equipment, no combat experience except for occasional border skirmishes); Japan (no nuclear weapons, no L2 navy, no combat experience, little experience of global deployments); South Korea (no nukes, no L2 navy, no combat experience since the 1950s, no… Read more »
Hi Graham-well said. Some of the sites that put out these rankings are pretty flimsy in the research department and much of the dialogue is off the shelf and pieced together complete with some pronunciation howlers!
Cheers from durban
An interesting and informative article. For obvious reasons we hear little about what the SSNs do.
I hope, that all the claims about the astute are not put to the test.
We’re giving India a natio with a booming economy and quickly growing navy, over£290 million in foreign aid the same to their neighbours Pakistan, a neighbor who house’s terrorists and allows the use of its lands for the training of extremists how can we say that the defence budget should fund it? We also give £millions to Syria, a nation run by a despot who has used chemical weapons against his own people. It’s time for a real debate about the whole foreign aid issue and that of institutions like the BBC WHICH IS ANOTHER BLACK HOLE WHERE THE TAXPAYERS… Read more »