Romanian sailors have completed intensive training with the Royal Navy and are now preparing to contribute to Black Sea security operations, according to a Royal Navy news update.
The 45-strong crew of the minehunter Capitan Constantin Dumitrescu, formerly HMS Pembroke, underwent the same demanding assessment applied to UK warships before front-line deployment. The training was delivered by Fleet Operational Standards and Training (FOST), an organisation that has prepared naval crews for combat since the Second World War.
The Dumitrescu was officially commissioned into the Forțele Navale Române in August following her transfer from the Royal Navy. She is the second vessel of her class to join Romania, after the former HMS Blyth entered service in 2023 as ROS Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu.
FOST’s Faslane division provided bespoke scenario-based training, progressing from fundamental seamanship such as navigation and damage control through to minehunting operations and complex combat situations. Lieutenant Ollie Denton, an instructor embarked on the vessel, said the process was about “building trust, enhancing capability, and ensuring our allies can operate seamlessly alongside us in complex maritime environments.”
The training concluded in Rosyth and the North Sea, where assessors highlighted the professionalism of Commanding Officer Locotenent-Comandor Mădălina Drăgan and her crew’s technical proficiency and teamwork. Commander Tim Castrinoyannakis, Commander Global Sea Training, praised their “exceptional tenacity, professionalism, and a positive attitude throughout.”
With training complete, the Dumitrescu will sail for Constanța Naval Base for maintenance before joining operations under the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group. This multinational effort, which includes Bulgaria, Türkiye, and Ukraine when conditions allow, aims to strengthen maritime security, protect navigation, and address the threat posed by naval mines.
The full report can be read on the Royal Navy’s website here.
Leading the world in disposing of redundant obsolute capabilities.
“Dispose of your Plastic responsibly”.
If these are so obsolete why are other nations happy to buy them?
Gold plating cannot be the be all and wnd all, there has to be a point that good enough is enough to increase mass, even if only a small bit.
I’m sceptical of the 1SLs mythical fleets of autonomous until they are actually real and in service.