HMS Somerset chased allied submarines on Exercise Arctic Dolphin (Picture: Royal Navy)
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset has spent two weeks hunting allied submarines in the Norwegian fjords, engaging in a tense cat-and-mouse game to push trainee commanders to their limits.
The Plymouth-based warship took part in Exercise Arctic Dolphin, working with Norwegian, Danish and Dutch forces to test submarine captains as they attempted to qualify for frontline command.
The exercise also allowed HMS Somerset to sharpen her anti-submarine warfare skills, operating alongside a Merlin Mk2 helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron, known as the Flying Tigers.
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HMS Somerset and its Merlin helicopter played the role of adversaries, relentlessly tracking Norwegian and Dutch submarines.
The Royal Navy crew executed full-speed charges, evasive manoeuvres, and coordinated searches to keep the submarines under pressure.
“The training has been a game of cat and mouse; there were occasions when we (the aircraft) had the advantage over the submarine and also occasions where the submarine made it very difficult for us,” Lieutenant Charlie Homer said.
The submariners were undertaking the equivalent of the Royal Navy’s Perisher course, officially known as the Submarine Command Course, a gruelling training programme required to command a submarine.
The Merlin Mk2, one of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare helicopters, played a key role in the exercise.
Its sonar buoys, active dipping sonar, and infrared cameras were used to track the submarines in the fjords’ confined waters.
The aircraft also worked with Nato allies, flying alongside P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the UK, Norway, and the US, as well as Danish Navy Seahawk and French NH90 helicopters.
There was also an opportunity for the Merlin crew to land on the Danish frigate HDMS Niels Juel.
Sailors from HMS Somerset also had the rare chance to experience life aboard a Dutch Walrus-class submarine, HNLMS Zeeleeuw.
“I had the great opportunity to visit HNLMS Zeeleeuw and witness Submarine Command Course runs from the control room,” Lieutenant Gregor Phillips, Submarine Liaison Officer, said.
Source: currinsnavalandmaritme