On Monday, July 8th the frigate ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ (F-102) normally stationed in Ferrol (NW Spain) returned home after more than 6 months deployed in Operation ‘Brilliant Shield’ as flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Number One (SNMG-1). The F-102 set sail last January with Rear Admiral Joaquín Ruiz de Escagedo as the Group’s Commander and his international Staff.
The ship operated mainly in waters of the North Sea, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea. In these six months, the ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ has shown her excellent capabilities underlining, once again, Spain’s commitment -and that of the Armada in particular- with the Atlantic Alliance.
A total of 224 people have been on board including, in addition to her own crew, the international Staff of COMSNMG-1, the personnel serving with the embarked Air Unit, a Marine Corps security team, a medical doctor and an air traffic controller for operations at sea.
The ship has been 188 days out of her base visiting 13 nations and having sailed more than 28,000 nautical miles.
Upon her arrival at Ferrol, the F-102 was welcomed by Vice Admiral Ignacio Frutos (ALARFER) who addressed the crew acknowledging their dedication and endeavors during the deployment, and took advantage of the occasion to wish them a well-deserved break with their families and friends.