UK Navy’s HMS Richmond has trained Warfare Officers from 10 International and Commonwealth countries in a series of exercises off the South Coast exercises.
Officers from Sweden, Chile, Pakistan, Brunei, Nigeria, Malaysia, Singapore, Algeria, Morocco and Kuwait have all been put through their paces on board the Type 23 frigate, taking part in warfare drills, tactical exercises, and overseeing live firings of the medium range gun alongside the ship’s company.
The training is provided courtesy of the Royal UK Navy’s Maritime Warfare School and enabled by international funding. It takes advantage of the strong links the UK has fostered with each nation.
The objective was to take the students out of a simulator and into a real ship to demonstrate they could put their newly learned expertise into practice where it counts – at sea.
Lieutenant Commander Nigel Russell, Maritime Warfare School Lead Instructor, said:
“The warfare students have benefitted from very strong support, particularly from the Richmond warfare team.”
Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Air Warfare, Live Gunnery and Damage Control exercises designed to keep Richmond at the highest state of readiness were all practiced in quick succession, providing all of the students with a thorough test of their abilities.
Lieutenant Björn Eriksson of the Royal Swedish Navy said:
“It has been a very enriching experience, which we have learnt a lot from a very professional crew, and the exercises have helped us all share and improve our expertise.”
For Richmond’s part, her training continued as normal, buoyed by the extra manpower and enjoying the opportunity to learn from others.
[mappress]