Patrol ship HMS Spey joined Australia’s largest military exercise – the first time a Royal Navy warship has taken part.
Staged every two years, Exercise Kakadu – in 2022 played out in the northern Australia with the port city of Darwin as the hub – focuses on the ability of the Royal Australian Navy and her partners/allies to operate and fight together.
According to the Royal Navy here, destroyers, frigates, corvettes and littoral combat ships of varying designs and capabilities sailed in two task groups to undertake training activities to teach task groups to work together.
“The ships split into opposing task groups, playing out a scenario of an aggressor nation (‘Blueland’) trying to flex its muscles to intimidate its nearest neighbour (‘Redland’). In the opening days of the sea phase, ships undertake gun firing and defend themselves against fast jets simulating guided missiles from sophisticated P-8 maritime patrol aircraft or from a submarine.
Spey took her place with Royal Australian Navy patrol boat HMAS Broome and the Republic of Fiji vessel RFNS Savenaca to patrol and protect ‘Redland’ waters. The British ship knuckled down to formation sailings in close proximity, Officer of the Watch Manoeuvres, boarding exercises and reactions to fast inshore attack craft, but she also loaned sailors for some other exercise activities.”
Spey’s Commanding Officer Commander Michael Proudman said:
“They provide the opportunity to build partnerships, friendships and learn from one another in a safe and controlled environment. It increases collective capability to be able to respond better to the changing needs of the maritime security environment. There are many Commonwealth nations amongst us and this bond gives us strength, unity and common values which are the foundation of our societies.”
Essential action to demonstrate to China that the free World will do what is necessary to face up to their future naval plans. The UK needs to consider a permanent frigate force based in Australia as part of a South Pacific and Indian Ocean strategy.
A frigate not much use and certainly not all the way back in Australia. If we are sending anything to Perth it should be two SSN’s. If we are basing a frigate which I believe we should it should be up in Singapore or Brunei. Two British SSN’s forward based in Australia leaves us 5 to cover the Med and the Atlantic. It saves us the transit times on the current SSN deployed east of Suez.
Are we allowed to say that there is a SSN based east of Suez?
Ideally, the RN should have a carrier group in these waters, possibly a more compact carrier than the QE Class, which could carry a complement of F35’s and helicopters and drones plus Marines.
It would be nice to have had HMS Ocean still in RN service as it could have been very useful in the region
Aircraft carrier’s British & American plus Subs
what free world ?
‘fight’ – Spey is in no way equipped for any fight or exercise involving conflict. Therein lies the short sighted policy of the RN underarming it’s surface fleet. They’re either equipped for the fight or not! If they are fine, if not don’t deploy them. We can’t chose the severity or nature of any conflict.
They don’t actually shoot each other, so Spey could be “armed” with any fictitious weaponry the exercise demands. However, it was tasked with patrolling alongside two other patrol ships, neither of which were as large or well armed as Spey. They are well enough equipped (in reality) to fight and board FIACs, as the exercise is described.
“yawn” …they are designed to perform a specific task which in this exercise they are clearly performing perfectly. Yes she might not be a “Warship” in the traditional meaning but the batch 2’s have the same C&C, fire suppression system, battle damage management system, combat management program and the same superbly trained RN crew as every other warship in the fleet. Just because she doesn’t carry the latest ASM doesn’t disqualify her as a warship.
Exactly right. I think some folks think unless a ship is a multibillion destroyer with anti surface, anti air, anti missile and sub sea defence it should not be allowed to leave port. The batch 2 rivers are patrol ships which all navies have always had and continue to operate. The Royal Navy could go back to not operating permanently in the pacific or use what it has just now. Some don’t realise the implications of attacking a Royal Navy ship whether it’s a destroyer or a patrol ship. It’s the same. One further point, the navy is doing the… Read more »
I just love river ship’s, a brilliant concept.
Fast agile adaptable, more needed why put all your eggs in one basket. Mr Paul.
What would you have the B2 OPVs armed with to carry out the role assigned to them?
I want 96 standard 6 missiles, 16 NSM, Sampson radar, a sonar the size of the toughest marines ball sack, 10 spearfish torpedoes, 3 merlins, 2 wildcats, 26 drones and a battalion of marines with raiding craft.
Then she can sail the seven seas
I’ve got a 14 ft fishing boat 25hp 4 stroke honda engine it’s great
I have no issues with B2s armament, instead the language of what these vessels could find themselves doing. The scenario above stated “In the opening days of the sea phase, ships undertake gun firing and defend themselves against fast jets simulating guided missiles from sophisticated P-8 maritime patrol aircraft or from a submarine”. they should be nowhere near sub surface or air threats! In planned config t31s should be nowhere near AOs with subsurface or surface threats. Delusions of capabilities!
tHeY ShoULd bE ARmEd tO tHe tEeTh! Sampson and associated Asters can simply be bonded to the roof of the bridge with a couple of tubes of No More Nails. Easy. There’s plenty of space for a triple 16″ turret on the back. Why wasn’t it included in the original design? A towed mexeflote with a F35 on it. Another mexeflote towed behind that with twin Merlins for ASW. A triple launcher for onboard Spearfish MOD1. A couple of trident tubes can easily be installed in the forecastle. Another mexeflote with some portacabins fixed with No More Nails for the… Read more »
I laughed at the image in my mind of Mexefloat with F35!! Nice one.
It makes me chuckle every time, though I do often wonder if some of the commentators here think this is actually a genuine option for up-arming the B2 Rivers!
😀👍
what conflict
I’ve never known any of the surface fleet to be equipped to fight and that goes back as far as the 60s also the fleet including boats is far to small if we want a meaningful presence anywhere then it needs to be greatly increased.
Been saying that after her last exercise. They are useful for port visits and security patrols but they should not be participating in major military exercises.
Hmmm. I think all assets large and small, armed to the teeth or lightly armed, have a role to play depending what part of the exercise they’re involved in.
UKDJ understandably reports on exercises from a UK perspective, however this can leave the impression that the UK contribution to the Pacific is somewhat more significant than it may be in practice. In the case of Exercise Kakadu 22 that has just concluded, HMS Spey was one of 15 ships and submarines from Australia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the USA. Exercise planners aim to maximise the training outcomes for all participants regardless of the capability deployed, so the ‘Redland’ exercise teamed the three smallest and lightest armed patrol boats (HMS Spey, HMAS Broome and RFNS… Read more »
Because the Rivers are just there to say ‘we’re here, so don’t try anything’.
Using our frigates would be a waste, as if China attack, pretty much any ship there is going down. It’s the response that will really matter.
Would you prefer the RN did not take part at all? Even though River class vessels are deployed there.
Good point. The exercise promotes alliance solidarity and enables the learning of interoperability with Australian, Fijian and other navies vessels participating. Other ships in the group can deliver firepower above the weight of Bushmaster 30mm.
No problem is us participating, if we provide a patrol boat to perform very limited duties fair enough. But don’t report it as bull shitting that it fought anything off as if its HMS Warspite reincarnated. That’s just pathetic.
Yes, i know they do spin I can agree with that. It’s the nature of MoD and probably most other defence ministries out there.
Luckily anyone can come on UKDJ where they’re put right if they are mistaken thinking an OPV is armed like an escort.
Where did the italicized text from the RN suggest Spey did anything more than patrol shop activities?
Try searching for the word fights in the dictionary…
“Fight” appears only in respect of the overall exercise, which is then further described above by Oscar Zulu. The RN text on Spey refers to “Patrol and protect”
The best thing our batch 2’s are doing is enabling the rest of the RN to get on with things, freeing up more important combatants to do there task more effectively look at the recent deployments in the med, carrier in NY, maintain gulf commitments and more including massive deployments around Scotland currently. A ship is worth more than its parts you know.
I think the Rivers are underarmed for their size,.My love of the book The Cruel Sea and love of the Flowers,apart from speed a Flower could blow a River out of the water.
flowers rivers sounds good I use to fly fish
I thought that what AUKUS was for??
why ? is there an enemy or is it to show the people what big guns I have .