Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group One (SNMCMG1) is returning to the Baltic Sea for what NATO call “another routine patrol”.
“The SNMCMG1 is most happy to return to the Baltic Sea with ships of six different NATO countries,” said Commander Peter Ramboer of the Belgian Navy and Commander of SNMCMG1.
“In the group we stand ready to keep the waterways of the Baltic safe and secure. We will certainly have the opportunity to sharpen our mine counter measures skills when working on historic minefields of the first and second world war in the weeks to come.”
The group has been on its way since January this year and conducted mine clearance operations in Oslo Fjord, the German Bight, the coast of France, the UK and the Baltic Sea.
Currently the group consists of 6 ships: BNS Godetia (command and supply ship from Belgium), HNoMS Maaloey (mine hunter from Norway), LVNS Rusins (mine hunter from Latvia), LNS Kursis (mine hunter from Lithuania), HNLMS Makkum (minehunter from The Netherlands) and FGS Homburg (mine hunter from Germany).
SNMCMG 1 is part of the enhanced high readiness NATO Reaction Force and provides a crucial element to NATO’s capabilities. When not activated as part of the NATO Reaction Force, SNMCMG1 takes part in different multinational exercises and trains with NATO members and partners to ensure readiness and enhance interoperability.
Those are some fine, big, heavily armed MCS in that photo!
Also… “It has begun” (pronounced in a stentorian voice)
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/10/does-japan-need-aircraft-carrier/151802/
This article is obviously written by someone influenced by the PRC to try to dissuade the Japanese from going ahead with this. Not going to work. I think we are less then 10 years away from a full sized Japanese Navy (note I did not write JMSDF) CVN.
Cheers!
Sorry… CV… Possibly CVN in a couple of decades…
Gosh. Who would have thought a ‘Destroyer’ designed Helicopter carrier might be retro-fitted to create an F35 carrier. B variant?
“Through Deck Cruiser”.
I note that there is (again) no RN presence in SNMCMG1, one of the RN’s longest standing commitments and evidence perhaps that UK is struggling to meet NATO tasking with the number of MCMV’s left? It was argued a few years ago that 16 were needed to undertake Gulf rotation and provide for existing refit/training and tasking around Europe and the UK. Fleet of 13 now HM Ships Atherstone and Quorn were quietly withdrawn a year ago.
My concern for the Hunts is more we will need OPV’s post Brexit. They have some utility in that role.
The British government has cut another 3 Royal Navy mine counter/hunters not long ago! We now only have 12! We did have more than twice that number not so long Ago!.. I don’t get why they cut the mine ships! They are great assets and help bring up RN ships captains!. The RN is one of the best mine counter/ hunters.. The mines also have the offshore patrol vessel capability that they were routinely used for! We should have more than 12! We have to stop this government cutting all of our millitay capabilitys to the bone!…They think we are dumb! And they did say we are building more frigates and the royal navy’s growing!! It’s not even funny! And the frigates are replaced ship for ship! and the government soon stopped “the growing Royal Navy” bullcrap! It’s the smallest it’s been in hundreds of years, the Army’s the smallest in hundreds of years and the RAF has lost half of its fighters and almost all of the tornados, granted the tonkys will be replaced by the f35bs but we had over 160 odd tornados and we will be getting just 48 f35bs, and 136 will be ordered but that’s over the whole life span of the f35 program! 40/50 years or more!!
If this was America they wouldn’t put up with this shit! I don’t know why we do in Britain!. I live fight next to old RAF Kinloss old home to the Nimrod fleet! I loved watching them fly about! Then they scrapped the lot after spending billions!! Then they closed down two if the 3 RAF bases in Scotland leaving just RAF Lossiemouth!! I hate the government for what they have done to the British millitary! And they are selling off 30% of all MOD facility’s and airfields, barracks ect! Hat if we need the army barracks and RAF airfields in future? It’ll cost far far more to build them again! They even want to close the only Royal Navy facility on the east coast at rosythe in Scotland! Even though it’s a tiny facility, but it holds many old RN nuclear submarines and it built the two new Aircraft Carriers!!! We don’t spend 2% on defence, lucky if we spend 1.5%!!!