Tag Archives: boarding team
Royal Navy helicopter lowering winchman onto suspected pirate vessel in Gulf of Oman
A winchman is lowered to the deck of a suspected pirate vessel with a stretcher from HMS Monmouth’s Lynx helicopter, after a reported injury to a crew member. Type 23 frigate HMS Monmouth was patrolling on counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Oman at the time. LA(Phot) Stuart Hill.
HMAS Melbourne apprehends pirates, destroys skiffs
HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) is an Adelaide-class frigate commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in 1992. She is currently deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations as part of Operation Slipper, Australia’s contribution to maritime security operations in the region.
HMAS Melbourne apprehends alleged pirates
HMAS Melbourne’s boarding party intercepts a suspected pirate boat.
Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Melbourne, has intercepted suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia as part of maritime security patrols in Middle Eastern waters for Operation SLIPPER.
The suspected pirates were intercepted on 15 October 2013 after the Combined Maritime Forces received two reports of attempted acts of piracy against two separate merchant vessels during the previous four days.
Under the direction of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF151), HMAS Melbourne was appointed as on-scene commander for a multi-national search operation, involving ships and aircraft from the Combined Maritime Forces and European Union Naval Forces to locate and intercept the suspected pirates.
With the assistance of other CTF 151 assets, HMAS Melbourne successfully located the suspected pirate vessels.
HMAS Melbourne closes on a suspected pirate vessel in the Arabian Sea.
HMAS Melbourne‘s highly trained boarding team made the final approach to board and search the skiffs successfully apprehending the nine pirates.
Commander Brian Schlegel, Commanding Officer HMAS Melbourne said that the Ship’s Company knew what to do and was well trained to ensure a positive outcome.
“Melbourne’s success in disrupting piracy activity in the region re-affirms the importance of Australia’s ongoing commitment to Combined Maritime Forces,” Commander Schlegel said.
“Melbourne’s Ship’s Company have worked tirelessly to contribute to a successful outcome for both Combined Maritime Forces and for the wider Maritime Community.”
HMAS Melbourne’s boarding party provided information about various items located onboard the two vessels that could be used in piracy attacks.
In accordance with the Combined Maritime Forces direction, the pirates were embarked in HMAS Melbourne and the skiffs and associated pirate equipment was destroyed.
HMAS Melbourne is currently returning the suspected pirates to Somalia.
The quick, co-ordinated and decisive response to threats in the maritime environment highlights the importance of the continued presence of multi-national forces in the Middle East region.
HMAS Melbourne is the 56th rotation to the Middle East Area of Operations since the 1991 Gulf War and the 32nd rotation since 2001.
She is employed by the Combined Maritime Forces under the Tactical Control of CTF151 who is responsible for counter piracy operations within the Middle East Area of Operations.
http://news.navy.gov.au/en/Oct2013/Operations/543#.UmG_bBCWObg
HMCS Toronto seizes 180kg heroin in Arabian Sea
BZ! That’s 180kg of heroin that won’t be funding terrorist groups.
Canadian warship makes significant drug bust on the high seas
HMCS Toronto heads to the Arabian Sea as part of Operation Artemis, in Halifax on Monday, Jan.14, 2013. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRES)
Canadian warship on patrol in the Arabian Sea made what the military is touting as an important drug seizure on Saturday.
HMCS Toronto intercepted and boarded a suspected smuggling vessel, seizing 154 bags of heroin weighing more than 180 kilograms, said a news release issued late Saturday.
The drugs were catalogued and then destroyed, the release said.
The seizure took place about 800 kilometres east of the Horn of Africa.
“I’m extremely proud of the work Toronto’s team, and all those on whom we rely for support, have done to achieve this success,” said Commander Matthew Bowen, Toronto’s skipper.
“A positive outcome like this, seizing and disposing of illegal narcotics whose sale would have funded extremist groups, is a big win for Canada’s counter-terrorism efforts.”
The frigate has made a number of drug seizures while on patrol in the past few months, including seizing 500 kilograms of heroin last March and about 5950 kilograms of hashish in another boarding incident in May.
The frigate is on patrol in the region as part of an international effort to curb terrorism and deter piracy on the high seas.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-warship-makes-significant-drug-bust-on-the-high-seas-1.1485471
Royal Navy intercepts £9m/$14m marijuana in Caribbean
RFA Wave Knight is a Wave Knight-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The vessels are crewed by 72 RFA personnel and there is also provision for 26 Royal Navy personnel for helicopter, weapons systems and counter-narcotics operations. RFA Wave Knight is currently assigned to the Royal Navy’s standing Caribbean deployment, Atlantic Patrol Task (North).
Wave Knight scores £9m drugs bust intercepting Caribbean smugglers
Sailors from tanker RFA Wave Knight stopped an estimated £9m of cannabis reaching the UK after intercepting a suspicious fishing vessel in the Caribbean.
The ship recovered more than £6m of cannabis bales from the ocean as the drug-runners ditched them overboard, with upwards of £3m worth of narcotics ending up on the seabed.
This is what £6.4m of cannabis looks like – and it will never reach dealers, let alone the streets of the UK after being snared by RFA Wave Knight in the Caribbean.
Upwards of £3m of the drug is thought to be resting on the seabed after the tanker gave chase to a suspicious fishing vessel, whose crew began tossing their cargo overboard.
The tanker was on patrol when she came across Miss Tiffany – and sent her sea boat off in pursuit, armed with a US Coast Guard boarding team.
When the boat reached the fishing vessel, the drug runners began ditching weighted bales of marijuana before their craft was boarded by the Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment.
Thanks to the efforts of the crew of Wave Knight’s second sea boat, some 55 of those bales were recovered and brought aboard the auxiliary.
Miss Tiffany tries – and fails – to out run the tanker
In all a haul of some 1.2 tons (1276 Kg) with a street value of around £6.4m was recovered by Team Wave Knight with an estimated further 1,200lbs (540kg) of drugs sinking before the sailors could haul the bales out of the Caribbean.
Total disruption to the drug-runners: about £9m with seven crew of the Miss Tiffany arrested and their boat handed over to Jamaican authorities.
“The entire ships company – RFA civilians, US Law Enforcement Team and Royal Navy personnel alike – as well as HQ and prosecuting staff ashore – are delighted with the result,” said Capt Chris Clarke RFA, Wave Knight’s Commanding Officer.
“Once again the joint approach to counter narcotic operations has resulted in another successful take-down.”
It’s the fourth significant bust by British naval forces in the past couple of months.
The recovered drugs are hauled aboard Wave Knight
Lancaster bagged £100m cocaine and £700,000 cannabis, while Wave Knight intercepted a drug-smuggling go-fast in a joint effort with the Dutch.
Those successes were underlined by defence secretary Philip Hammond. “The work of the Royal Navy across the globe and in particular in the Caribbean on counter-narcotics operations is vital to protecting us here at home,” he said.
“This drugs bust follows recent successful interdiction and deterrence operations by HMS Lancaster and HMS Argyll in the Caribbean which all contribute to ensuring illegal drugs do not reach our streets. I congratulate the ship’s company for their actions in this operation.”
Wave Knight’s bust came under the banner of Operation Martillo, an effort by 15 nations to stop the movement of drugs from the Central and South American region by sea or air.
HMAS Newcastle conducts counter-terrorist operations in Bab-el-Mandeb strait
HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06) is a Royal Australian Navy Adelaide-class frigate, laid down in 1989 and commissioned into the RAN in 1993. She will be replaced by one of the new Hobart-class destroyers (due to commission between 2016-19).
HMAS Newcastle completes counter-terrorism focused operation
One of HMAS Newcastle’s Ridged Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) returning from boarding operations.
In July, HMAS Newcastle completed an intensive counter-terrorism focused operation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with the multi-national Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150).
During the focused operation, Newcastle executed 58 boarding actions, three replenishment activities with foreign ships and five deterrence transits of the (BAM).
The BAM, which translated from Arabic means the ‘Gate of Grief’, is a critical choke point that connects the Gulf of Aden to the Southern Red Sea, leading north to the Suez Canal. The narrow body of water is part of a global shipping network that connects the West and the East. It is frequently used by ships travelling from Europe to nations whose maritime boarders are on the Indian Ocean. CTF 150 estimates that between 55 and 65 merchant ships transit the BAM daily.
A boarding party from HMAS Newcastle conducts Approach and Assist Visits on a boat in the Middle East Area of Operations.
Principal Warfare Officer, Lieutenant Mike Forsythe described the BAM as a high risk area for terrorism related activities.
“It is high risk because of the width of the strait and the number of small boats that operate in it,” Lieutenant Forsythe said.
“The aims of the coalition and regional partners involved in the focused operation were to build a better understanding of the patterns of life in the area, to deter terrorist activities, and restrict the terrorist’s freedom of movement,” he said.
The boarding actions executed by Newcastle during the focused operation were Approach and Assist Visits (AAV), which are conducted regularly by coalition warships to build rapport with local mariners and seek information on what they may have seen in the area. The visits allow the coalition ships to collect intelligence on patterns of illegal activity.
Newcastle used her S-70-B2 Seahawk helicopter to survey the area of operations to gather intelligence on patterns of life and identify targets for her Boarding Party to visit.
During the focused operation, Newcastle also conducted three replenishment activities with coalition ships, from France and the United States, to take on fuel and stores ensuring that Newcastle could remain in the area and focused on her mission.
The Australian crew battled through 97 percent humidity for more than four hours to complete one of the Replenishment at Sea (RAS) evolutions with the United States Naval Service oiler USNS Patuxent, which included a Heavy Jackstay. Newcastle also conducted her first evening RAS with French Ship (FS) Somme, their third replenishment activity together since Newcastle arrived in the Middle East Area of Operation (MEAO).
The focused operation was a true multi-national affair with the Australian warship interacting with British, French, U.S. and Spanish units.
“The BAM is an important strategic strait to the international community. Without it, ships would have to transit all the way around Africa. We all have an interest in the security of this region,” Lieutenant Forsythe said.
On completion of the counter-terrorism focused operation, Newcastle was assigned to another CTF 150 operation – targeting the smuggling of weapons.
CTF 150 is one of three task forces operated by the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 28-nation coalition based in Bahrain. The principle mission of CTF 150 is to deter, disrupt and defeat attempts by international terrorist organisations to use the maritime environment as a venue for attack or as a means to transport personnel, weapons and other materials.
Newcastle is in the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) assigned to Operation SLIPPER – the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to the international campaign against terrorism, counter smuggling and counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and enhancing regional maritime security and engagement. Her deployment is the 55th rotation of an Australian warship to the MEAO since 1990.
HMAS Newcastle’s Boarding Team, boarding the Yemeni Dhow SONA after being invited on during an Approach and Assist Visit (AAV) to build rapport with local mariners in the Bab Al Mandeb strait.
http://news.navy.gov.au/en/Aug2013/Operations/344#.UiB0hD-WObg
HMS Lancaster seizes multi-million narcotics haul in Caribbean
HMS Lancaster, a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate, battling narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean as part of her duties assigned to Atlantic Patrol Task (North).
{cough… show of hands… old farts who still call it the West Indies guard ship…}
HMS Lancaster seizes multi-million pound cocaine haul
HMS Lancaster made the bust after the boat – concealed by a tarpaulin – was spotted by a US Customs and Border Agency aircraft in the Caribbean Sea.
HMS Lancaster in the Caribbean Sea. During the six-month deployment Lancaster will visit all of the British Overseas Territories in the region, as well as numerous Commonwealth and Caribbean nations. These visits will provide the opportunity to train with other navies as well as demonstrate the Royal Navyâs continued commitment to the region. In between visits, Lancaster will be conducting counter narcotics patrols in conjunction with the US Coast Guard but will remain at high readiness throughout the deployment to provide support and life saving assistance in the wake of a hurricane or other natural disaster. Image by LA(PHOT) Jay Allen
The Portsmouth-based frigate sped to the area and launched her Lynx helicopter and high-speed pursuit boat to intercept the 30ft vessel with three suspected smugglers on board. As Lancaster approached, the men attempted to dispose of the evidence by throwing one bale of drugs overboard, but these were quickly recovered by the boat crew.
A huge haul of well over 600kgs of cocaine will never reach the streets of the UK after a major bust by Royal Navy warship HMS Lancaster. Image by LA(PHOT) Jay Allen
A total of 22 bales of pure cocaine were seized along with the three men on board who, ultimately, were fully compliant with the Royal Navy and US Coastguard team. The suspected smugglers and cocaine were then handed over to the Coast Guard Cutter Sapelo and then the authorities in Puerto Rico.
The empty drugs boat was subsequently sunk by Royal Navy gunfire to prevent its use in future smuggling operations.
A huge haul of well over 600kgs of cocaine will never reach the streets of the UK after a major bust by Royal Navy warship HMS Lancaster. Image by LA(PHOT) Jay Allen
Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond MP said: “This extraordinary quantity of drugs has been stopped from reaching the streets by the swift actions of the Royal Navy, working closely with the US Coastguard. This is HMS Lancaster’s second counter narcotics patrol in the Caribbean to tackle the drugs trade and the entire ship’s company should be proud of this remarkable achievement.
“This is another example of the skills and capability that mean our Armed Forces are held in high regard by our partners around the world.”
HMS Lancaster is on patrol with a team from the US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment as part of a multi-national effort to combat drug smuggling in the Caribbean.
HMS Lancaster’s Commanding Officer, Commander Steve Moorhouse, said: “This is a great result not only for Lancaster but also everyone involved in the multi-national effort to stem the flow of drugs in the region.
“My ship’s company can be incredibly proud of what they have achieved, their professionalism and teamwork continue to shine, and our close relationship with our partner nations and law enforcement agencies is proving to be hugely successful.”
This is the ship’s third success in as many weeks and follows on from the seizure of a shipment of marijuana with a street value of up to £700,000 and the stopping of another craft with a significant amount of cocaine and heroine on board.
Able Seaman James Duffy, the coxswain of one of Lancaster’s sea boats, and who is from the city of Lancaster, said: “We have all trained really hard to get where we are and have a fantastic relationship with the US coast guard guys. It is an amazing feeling to get such a great bust and stop millions of pounds worth of cocaine hitting the streets.”
The Portsmouth-based Type 23 frigate is on her second counter narcotics patrol of the Caribbean region and will continue to combat the illicit smuggling of drugs until the end of the year.
These patrols are part of Operation Martillo, a 15-nation collaborative effort to deny transnational criminal organisations air and maritime access to the littoral regions of Central America; and focus on putting a stop to the illegal movement of drugs from South America into the Caribbean and onwards to the UK. Over the past year the US Coast Guard has seized 20,500kg of cocaine and 8,500lbs of marijuana during 22 law enforcement interceptions.
A huge haul of well over 600kgs of cocaine will never reach the streets of the UK after a major bust by Royal Navy warship HMS Lancaster. Image by LA(PHOT) Jay Allen
Counter narcotic operations with the USA and other partner nations is one of a range of tasks HMS Lancaster is conducting across the Caribbean in support of British interests. Others include providing reassurance and security for British Overseas Territories and the provision of humanitarian aid and disaster relief during the core hurricane season.
The Royal Navy contributes to counter narcotics across the globe whether it be cannabis and cocaine in the Caribbean or intercepting insurgent heroin traffic using its Sea King Air Surveillance helicopters in Afghanistan.
Mk8 Lynx from 815NAS 202Flt carry out winching training. During the six-month deployment Lancaster will visit all of the British Overseas Territories in the region, as well as numerous Commonwealth and Caribbean nations. These visits will provide the opportunity to train with other navies as well as demonstrate the Royal Navyâs continued commitment to the region. In between visits, Lancaster will be conducting counter narcotics patrols in conjunction with the US Coast Guard but will remain at high readiness throughout the deployment to provide support and life saving assistance in the wake of a hurricane or other natural disaster. Image by LA(PHOT) Jay Allen
http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/News-and-Events/Latest-News/2013/August/14/130814-Lancaster-drug-haul
USS Rentz seizes $78 million in cocaine
The USS Rentz (FFG-46) is an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate based at Naval Base San Diego.
One of only 13 vessels in her class still in commission (out of 71 built!), the Retnz is scheduled to decommission in 2014.
Frigate Rentz seizes $78M in cocaine
The Rentz is one of only five frigates that are still stationed in San Diego. navy.mil
A San Diego-based warship has seized cocaine worth about $78 million — just one week into its latest drug-busting operation.
The frigate Rentz deployed from Naval Base San Diego on July 25 for the seven-month campaign called Operation Martillo (Spanish for “hammer”).
The frigate’s crew wasted no time in starting their latest mission in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean.
Less than a week on station in the 4th Fleet area of responsibility, servicemen seized 2,123 pounds of cocaine from a fishing vessel north of the Galapagos Islands.
“We are very fortunate to have the Rentz and embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment on patrol conducting counter transnational organized crime operations,” said Rear Adm. Sinclair M. Harris, commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/4th Fleet.
“This major seizure in the first week the ship is on station is a clear indicator that illicit activities are taking place and must be addressed to counter their destabilizing affects in the region and in our nation.”
Operation Martillo targets illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus, and is an international, interagency operation led by Joint Interagency Task Force-South, a component of U.S. Southern Command.
During last week’s operation, the Rentz worked closely with a Navy P-3 Orion long-range patrol aircraft to detect and intercept the fishing vessel suspected of smuggling narcotics in international waters.
The U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team aboard the frigate discovered and confiscated the cache of cocaine shortly after boarding the vessel.
Since Operation Martillo started in January 2012, 318,133 pounds of cocaine and 25,052 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $40 billion have been confiscated.
As well as targeting drug runners in the waterways, the Rentz will also take part in the annual multinational UNITAS maritime exercise next month.
This exercise will be conducted in the Southern Caribbean Sea off the coast of Colombia with naval forces from Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The Rentz is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/16/rentz-cocaine-interdiction/
Korean warship rescues mariners in Gulf of Aden
The Wang Geon is on-station as part of CTF 151, supporting counter-piracy operations off East Africa… which proved fortuitous for these merchant seamen who had suffered a fire & sinking.
Warship Rescues Stranded Mariners in Gulf of Aden
A Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship has rescued a group of sailors left adrift for five days in the Gulf of Aden.
The South Korean destroyer ROKS Wang Geon picked up the mariners near a busy shipping lane after their vessel caught fire and sank.
Wang Geon was on patrol as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, CMF’s anti-piracy operation, when she spotted a bright orange life raft drifting in the water.
Launching her sea boat despite rough seas, Wang Geon’s boarding team recovered the crew from the life raft before returning them safely to the ship, where they received first aid, medical care, food and berthing.
The sailors (eight Indian, two Yemeni, one Nepalese) were the crew of the MV Al Saeed 2, which was carrying livestock between Somalia and Yemen when it suffered a catastrophic engine fire. They had gone for five days without even a bottle of water between them, and were close to dehydration.
The crew have since been safely turned over to the Yemeni Coast Guard.
Al Saeed 2’s captain, Akbar Abbas Chamadiya, said: We had almost given up hope before the Korean warship came to save our lives.
“Our deepest gratitude goes to Captain Han Young-Hee and his crew for rescuing us and providing us with care.”
Wang Geon has returned to her patrol, monitoring international waters in the Gulf of Aden and Northern Indian Ocean for pirate activity and ensuring maritime security in the high-risk waters off the Horn of Africa.
Royal Navy and Royal Marines try out Glock 17, replacement for venerable Browning
Sad to see the Browning go, but I suppose it had to happen. Let’s hope the Glock was the right choice.
Training begins on new pistols at Raleigh
Sailors preparing for operations have been trained to use the new Glock 17 pistol during a training course run at HMS Raleigh’s Military Training Unit.
The new pistol replaced the Browning as the pistol of choice in all three Services earlier this year.
During the first Glock course held at HMS Raleigh, a group of 17 sailors were taught how to safely fire and maintain the pistol over three days. The course culminated in a formal assessment to ensure that each sailor could use the weapon competently and accurately.
Royal Marine Colour Sergeant (CSgt) Kevin McBain, one of the instructors, said:
“The Glock 17 is a more modern combat weapon. It’s lighter than its predecessor and has a higher magazine capacity.
“It’s a very nice pistol and a very comfortable weapon to fire. The hand grip is good and there’s not too much recoil.
“With the students a lot of emphasis is placed on coaching and pistol marksmanship, so that they can gain confidence in their own abilities and produce the goods when required.”
While the Royal Marines typically use the pistol in close-quarters fighting, Royal Navy aircrew, divers and sailors involved in boarding operations carry the pistol.
The Glock carries 17 bullets compared with its predecessor’s 13.
All Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel deployed to Afghanistan are pistol-qualified.
PO Alex Tilbury, who is currently serving onboard HMS Westminster, said:
“The course has been really good. It’s the first time I’ve fired a 9m pistol. The Glock seems to be relatively easy to use. The instructors were good too and helped us with every aspect of the course.”
The Glock 17 Gen 4 – to give the new pistol its full title- is part a wide range of weaponry available to front line troops. Pistols are vital in a close combat situation. CSgt McBain said:
“The pistol is a short-barrelled weapon, so it’s a complementary sidearm to the primary weapon system, which could possibly be the rifle. There is still a need for a very good Service pistol and that’s where the Glocks come in.
“The Browning has served us well throughout the years. It was first brought into service in 1967, but it’s now proving difficult to maintain so it’s time for a replacement.
“The Glock came out trumps on the trial, so that’s the pistol the Armed Forces have adopted. ”
The Glock carries 17 bullets compared with its predecessor’s 13.
It is the first new pistol to be introduced into the military for more than 40 years and has being supplied under a £9m deal with Viking Arms in Harrogate In total 25,000 Glock 17s have been ordered and troops deployed to Afghanistan were among the first to use the new weapon.
The contract with Viking also includes more than 25,000 holsters.
All Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel deployed to Afghanistan are pistol-qualified.
The Military Training Unit at HMS Raleigh provides cutting edge weapons training for Naval Service personnel at all levels, ensuring that they are fully prepared to protect themselves or their units on operations at sea and ashore.
The unit is currently training over 1,000 people a year to deploy in support of land operations, principally in Afghanistan. The MTU has the most up to date facilities available to the Royal Navy, including computer simulators, outside ranges and multimedia classroom.
Naval Matters 