UK, US ships conduct minehunting exercise
Four British ships together with several US ones participated in a four-day minehunting exercise as a warm-up for the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise, the UK Royal Navy announced on 31 March.
Minehunters HMS Middleton (Hunt class) and HMS Bangor (Sandown class) and their mother/support ship RFA Cardigan Bay as well as frigate HMS St Albans were tested along with US minehunter USS Gladiator, while the auxiliary tug USNS Catawba planted practice mines in the Gulf for the minehunters to find, neutralise or recover.
The exercise tested the forces’ ability to work together, conduct boardings and searches of suspicious vessels, eliminate targets with their guns, fend off air attacks, clear the mock minefield and put divers in the water.
Cmdr Jools Howe, in charge of the mine warfare battle staff, UK Royal Navy, said: ‘This is a perfect example of how successfully a multi-national force can integrate and work together to hone its skills in difficult and changeable environmental conditions. Understanding the nuances of each area is key as we work maintain freedom of navigation and ensure safety in the region.’
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear]()
Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.
-
![US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes]()
US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes
The US Navy (USN) is currently reassessing its acquisition efforts and seeking ways to reduce the multiple delays across the shipbuilding initiatives.
-
![Australia commissions HMAS Arafura three-and-a-half years behind schedule]()
Australia commissions HMAS Arafura three-and-a-half years behind schedule
The Royal Australian Navy has finally commissioned the first Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel – more than three years behind schedule – highlighting the programme’s delays, design compromises and ongoing industrial restructuring.
-
![Italy orders two ships as work begins on others along with deliveries and updates]()
Italy orders two ships as work begins on others along with deliveries and updates
The Italian Navy is being refreshed with two new ships ordered, while in the past six months steel was cut for a new frigate, an enhanced frigate was delivered and Horizon-class frigates passed a design review.
