The Dutch 'invasion'

For those of you keeping an eye on movements in the Sound over the last couple of weeks, you must have noticed the Dutch ‘invasion’. A few days ago, we had two Royal Netherlands Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) - HNlMS Friesland & HNlMS Groningen. Friesland & Groningen were only here briefly and, according to the King’s Harbour Master’s website were undertaking navigation training. This probably means that they were carrying officers under training who were practicing their navigational skills. A lot can be done in a simulator, but the ultimate test is to do the real thing. After all, I’m sure anyone could learn to drive a car without ever sitting in a real one on an actual road, but who (apart from the simulator manufacturers) would be happy to share the road with someone who had never been behind the wheel of a car ‘in real life’ before?!

Friesland & Groningen were followed a few days later by HNlMS Luymes & HNlMS Schiedam. Luymes & Schiedam are a research & hydrographic survey ship and a mine counter measures vessel, respectively. Why they were here is not, presently, publicly known. However, the regular presence of warships from other NATO countries just indicates how much the NATO navies work seamlessly together.

Another foreign warship still regularly around at the moment is the German Corvette FGS Braunschweig – seem here entering port last Wednesday. She is doing an Operational Sea Training (OST) package with the RN’s sea training organisation – FOST – based here in Plymouth. Her package will be 4-6 weeks long, so we will see her around for a bit yet.

PS. In case you wondered – the black patch on her side is there because she has diesel generator exhausts in her ship’s side & they ‘hide’ the sooty marks that would otherwise discolour her grey hull!