Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ramsey returned to HM Naval Base Clyde after a successful deployment to the Baltic Sea, say the Royal Navy.
The Sandown-class minehunter left her home on the Clyde in May, briefly stopping at Rosyth and Copenhagen, before joining-up with Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1.
“The group – consisting of vessels and personnel from the Danish, German, Estonian and Norwegian navies – worked together to clear historic ordnance off the coast of Estonia. Afterwards the NATO allies sailed to Kiel, Germany, to take part in NATO’s Exercise Baltops where they joined colleagues from Finland, Lithuania and the Netherlands.
It was the second year in a row that Ramsey participated in the exercise, on this occasion relieving sister Sandown HMS Grimsby and joining frigate HMS Kent and around two-dozen other ships and aircraft for the biggest wargames of 2020 in the Baltic. The exercise allowed the allies to test their ability to guarantee the freedom and security of nations with a Baltic coastline and saw the vessel tackle a variety of simulated seafaring and naval warfare challenges.”
Commander Steven White, Commanding Officer of the First Mine Counter Measures Squadron, was quoted as saying:
“As well as operating in the Middle East in warm shallow water, we also have to operate in colder climes. The Baltic provides an excellent operational setting to ensure the personnel of our MCM community, and their equipment, can operate in a wide variety of environmental conditions. This is especially true for the Sandown-class with their variable depth sonar which provides a unique capability to UK defence.”
The crew of HMS Ramsey will now go on to a period of tasking around the UK.
Flagship of the Scottish Navy?
No, Sturgeon will want all the Scottish named vessels as strangely, she thinks they’re hers!
How about vanguard, that fits better.
To “guard the van” with the Scottish army in it? :-)…