Commandos land from German submarine on Scottish coast

British commandos have come ashore at Cape Wrath from a German attack submarine and directed the guns of a Portuguese frigate onto targets inland, during the largest test of every part of the UK Commando Force in fifteen years, according to the Royal Navy.

The landing took place during Exercise Strike Warrior, which the service describes as the first occasion since the war in Afghanistan on which all the specialist elements of the formation have worked together. More than 2,000 personnel from six nations are taking part, drawn from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Norway and the United States, and deployed across the Western Isles, the North-West Approaches, Galloway, the Borders and the North Sea.

Navy and Army commandos from 148 Battery Commando Forward Observation Battery, the unit trained to carry out reconnaissance and call down naval gunfire from behind enemy lines, left the submarine in inflatable raiding boats and established an observation post on the cliffs at the most north-westerly point of mainland Britain. From there they directed the guns of the Portuguese warship NRP Dom Francisco de Almeida onto positions ashore.

The battery’s operations officer, who cannot be named for operational reasons, said: “This level of complexity and coordination of live assets has not been achieved by 148 Battery for nearly 30 years.

“We wanted to demonstrate to our partners across the United Kingdom Commando Force, wider UK Defence and NATO Special Operations Force community the type of missions we are prepared to execute against future threats.

“Warfighting is our focus, and we are prepared to employ specialist assets to deliver Multi-Domain Fires and Targeting.”

Three navies were involved in the single sequence at Cape Wrath. The German submarine found the targets, the commandos put themselves ashore without being seen, and the Portuguese ship supplied the firepower. The Royal Navy has not identified the submarine.

Earlier in the exercise the same battery controlled the naval gunfire of ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group One, the alliance’s standing task group in northern European waters. The Dutch frigate HNLMS Van Amstel and the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS St John’s both worked with commandos in observation posts to bring their guns onto targets.

Eight warships and 19 aircraft are taking part in Strike Warrior, which began on 28 September and finishes on Friday. Alongside the gunnery serials, the exercise has covered amphibious landings, boarding operations, intelligence and surveillance missions, logistics and sustainment, maritime security and anti-submarine warfare. Commandos have flown drone missions including strikes and resupply to troops in contact, and have built underground medical facilities.

Cape Wrath matters to this kind of training because it is the only place in Britain, and one of very few in Europe, where warships can fire live rounds at a land target. The range takes in Garvie Island off the headland, and the combination of the cliffs behind and the open Atlantic in front is what allows observation parties to work close to live naval gunfire.

The participation of a German boat and a Portuguese frigate alongside Dutch and Canadian ships reflects how the Commando Force now expects to operate, which is as the land element of a NATO maritime group rather than as a national force working alone. Norway and the United States also have personnel committed, and the stated purpose of the exercise is rehearsing allied crisis response in the High North and the North Atlantic.