The Turkish Navy-hosted exercise Mavi Balina concluded on October 9, after a week of evolutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Mavi Balina consisted of a port phase which started September 27 and transitioned to the at-sea portion on September 30.
The biannual anti-submarine warfare exercise also included air defense and gunnery exercises.
In addition to Turkish Navy vessels, the invitational exercise was joined by ships from the Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain and Romania. Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian and Dutch frigates attended the exercise as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2.
A US Navy P-8A Poseidon assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 10 also joined the exercise with a Turkish Navy Type-209 submarine crew providing the Red Lancers with a tour of their submarine following the pre-sail. The Red Lancers welcomed Turkish navy riders on two P-8A exercise flights originating from Dalaman.
Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Algeria, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia sent naval personnel to attended the exercise.