HMS Enterprise, a NATO group flagship, has been conducting training with the Croatian Navy.
Enterprise – currently in charge of NATO’s Mine Countermeasures Group 2 – trained extensively with the Croatian Navy missile/fast patrol boat Vukovar. Vukovar, not 150ft long and with a crew of only 30, is crammed with firepower – a 57mm main gun, eight Swedish-made anti-ship missiles, depth charges and a couple of 23mm machine-guns.
According to a press release:
“To date, Enterprise has been a flagship without a task group, but in Brindisi that changed as the first ship assigned to the NATO force this autumn, Turkish minehunter Edremit, joined the Briton for the entry into harbour.
While Turks and Brits were getting to know one another, task group commander Cdr Justin Hains visited Brindisi’s civic and military leaders, who stressed the importance of the port and maritime trade links in the southern Adriatic.
It’s the task of the minehunting group to support those trade links by keeping the sea lines open and free of mines – be they present day or those from the Mediterranean’s 20th Century conflicts.”
In early January 2017 it was announced Enterprise had deployed to the South Atlantic to perform patrol tasks normally carried out by the Falkland Islands patrol vessel, HMS Clyde, while Clyde underwent 3 months of maintenance in South Africa.
Aside from patrol duties, Enterprise was also tasked with updating charts of the region used by seafarers during her deployment.
Enterprise returned to Devonport on the 18th of April 2017 having steamed 150,000 miles and visited 20 countries over a period of nearly three years.
Upon her return to the UK Enterprise underwent a short refit in Falmouth prior to returning to operations. Sailing from Devonport in late June 2017, Enterprise deployed in her secondary role as an MCM mothership assuming the role of flagship of NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2), primarily operating in the Mediterranean.
It wont be long until nations like Croatia will be able to defeat the Royal Navy. They have anti ship missiles you see. We are just about to lose all the last remaining vestiges of military capability when our Royal Navy becomes the only one in the world incapable of sinking enemy ships with the scraping of harpoon anti ship missile without replacement.
Total joke.
shit decision making of the highest order.
Just take £500 million away from our flippin foreign aid budget of £13 billion and purchase the NSM as an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR)!!!!!!!!! Grrrr angry!!!!!!!
You want a military capable of defending OUR National interests ? You are clearly a xenophobic white supremist, SMH. I need a hug from my “gender fluid” Mummy/Daddy (one person).
And what do you think would happen to a ship when it gets hit with a heavyweight spearfish torpedoe?
The Royal Navy will still have the ability to sink ships Mr Bell.
Also bare in mind sinking surface vessels is not the type 23 or type 45’s main purpose, where as it is one of our SSN’s main purpose, and for that we have probably the best torpedoe in the world.
What we need is MK-41 VLS, then the missiles are there ready to buy. The type 23 is too old to fit MK-41 and the money is not there. The type 45 need the propulsion problems sorted so probably not getting MK-41. So until the first type 26 comes into service then it’s no anti-ship missiles. But it’s hardly like it’s a permanent problem.
And another thing, you seem obsessed with the foreign aid budget, why not fine a few multi nationals for tax avoidance and fund it that way, then we can help some of the poorest children in the world and have some missiles ?
Just a couple of points in reply:
1. We have very few SSNs and Frigates will not be escorted by one everywhere they go, hence why they need anti-ship missiles themselves.
2. Type 26s will be fitted with MK41s silos yes, but it will be at least 2030 before there are any any-ship missiles to fire from them – see the newer article on here!
I don’t think anyone is arguing about foreign aid as a concept, just that we seem to be giving away too much money to dubious Governments around the world and not protecting our own first.
Cheers Rob I’ve just read that article. I’ll comment on that.
Yeah I agree about the frigates, anti-ship missiles are most definitely needed but I was just pointing out we do still have the capability to sink ships.
With regards to foreign aid, if it was ever going to get cut then that money will be going to our own, but our own people in poverty. This idea that one of our prime ministers whoever it may be at the time is going to dip into the foreign aid budget that provides for the poorest in the world to buy missiles is one of the most unrealistic ideas I have ever heard. It simply won’t happen.
Erm, I may be being optimistic here but the carriers will have a few Apache’s on board which I’m sure can ruin the day of anything but the largest enemy vessels.
I doubt there are many ships that would welcome 3 or 4 hellfires exploding on them.
Then they have the F-35 which again if I’m mistaken can rather mess up enemy shipping as well so to say the navy is defenceless is about as truthful as an average Daily Mail article.
Apaches would get nowhere near an enemy Frigate before being shot out of the sky by their anti-air missiles.
When will our F35s have anti-ship missiles? Actually the better question might be will they ever have them?
F35 can carry two LRASM externally, though I don’t think it’s been integrated yet. The JSM will probably hit IOC with the F-35 in 2021, though the F-35B may not be able to carry it internally like the A and C can.
I believe F-35B is slated to carry miltiple Spear 3, a missile whose development is funded. This is a 60 mile range mini cruise missile. In the meantime Wildcat with a with a radius of action of over 100 mile would hopefully see the target very early. Its Seaspray would identify the target up to a further 150 miles away. Thats a lot of advance warning against say an Exocet with a range of 80 miles. The Sea Venom on Wildcat will have a range in excess of Sea Skua’s 15 miles (wiki), and can be precsion targetted at masts and missile launchers, beyond the reach of the likes of Mica and Aster 15. As I understand it the Wildcat would have to sneak up to within around 20 miles I think, pop up, launch Sea Venom and then drop down below the radar horizon of the target while Sea Venom sends it tv pictures of the strike.
Stop acting like you know what you’re talking about. You don’t have a single clue about macroeconomics and countries debt.
Acting like the bailiffs are going to be knocking on the cliffs at Dover.
Read a book ?
TH, there you go again with the same standard negative response to just about any UK related Defence articles.
We hear your position, we get it, job done…
With regards to the lack of Anti shipping missiles, it is a concern. The only slightly comforting thing about this is that it’s a gap that could be filled off the shelf “relatively quickly” if required, unlike some of our so called capability holidays that take many years to regenerate.
Copy paste comment from multiple other articles on this website. If you hate our military so much why are you on this page? Or, as is much more likely, are you a troll who thinks that we need more nurses and doctors in the NHS, the fifth biggest employer on the PLANET.
Anyone know the chance of sinking a shore hugging fast attack boat with a harpoon at 60nms ? Piss poor I would imagine, infact probably less that said heavy weight ASM hitting the wrong target and blowing the crap out of a random holiday home, yatch, fishing boat or if your really unlucky cruise ship.
As per the last few conflicts the RN have been involved in and barring WW3 will be involved in in the next number of years involve getting up close and personal (in naval terms) to ID the target and engage with light weight missiles to ensure no risk of collateral damage or stopping lots of light units closing range, 8 harpoons are FA use against 20 very small Iranian units coming at you with a shed load of tankers/merchants and cruise ships in the way.
That’s why at present we would be better investing in making sure we have a good cover of light ASMs, light guns, 4.5-5 naval guns and helicopter launched weapons. Ensure we get Sea ceptors anti surface warfare function working, that would give our ships unparalleled ability to deal with brown water Navy swam attack.
In the now if we need to start killing large blue water ships in the middle of the ocean I would imagine we would get a few days/weeks notice to retask a hunter killer and have lots of friends in the same boat as WW3 kicks off in Ernest.
Within a couple of years we will be adding our carrier aircraft to the mix as well, yes they will not have a heavy weight ASM for a while but they will have plenty to throw at a ship and it only takes a few smaller bangs to equal the effects of a large bang. There are no more armoured, gun armed cruisers needing to be torn into component parts before quitting, little bangs do embarrassing things to modern warships.