HMS Montrose gears up for major NATO exercise

Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose is getting ready for Exercise Joint Warrior following six-weeks of intensive operational sea training.

After the completion of Basic Operation Sea Training (BOST), the ship’s company went on leave Thursday evening, but were back at it first thing Monday morning in order to get ready for the second half of the month.

First order of business was a move out to the ammunition buoys on the river Tamar to take on more 4.5 inch High Explosive shells and Sea Ceptor missiles in support of the planning exercises and test firings.

With a temporary set back caused by 45 mile an hour, the ship sailed to Scotland.

Firstly, Montrose, along with two Dutch warships, was to act as adversary to two diesel electric submarines full of the next generation of Danish and Dutch Submariner Captains undertaking the NATO Submarine Command Course (SMCC) all itching to prove that they can sink a ‘Skimmer’.

The four days of training saw the ship move into Defence Watches, with 50% of the Ship’s company ‘stood to’ 24 hours a day ready to fight the ship using the ‘6 on 6 off’ routine.

On completion of NATO SMCC, the ship shifted gear to take up position within a NATO task group taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior.

The exercise consists of 11,700 sailors, soldiers and airmen from seventeen NATO countries proving that NATO can coordinate operations on the sea, on the land and in the air.

The training opportunity that Exercise Joint Warrior provides will further prepare the ship to be deployed as either part of a task group or as a singleton unit to anywhere in the world, according to the Royal Navy.