Navy minehunter EML Ugandi practiced shooting, maneuvers, communications and parcel delivery with the ships of NATO’s 1st Permanent Mine Countermeasures Group near Osmussaar on Thursday.
“Considering that a third of our team are conscripts at the moment and they are on their second voyage, the exercises went very well,” said Captain Major Janno Lauri, commander of EML Ugandi.
The day began with shots from on-board weapons, after which communication with the help of signal flags was practiced, and finally maneuvers between ships and supply at sea, i.e. the delivery of a parcel of mail.
After the cooperation exercise, the direction was taken towards the ports of Tallinn, where the ships of NATO’s 1st Permanent Mine Countermeasures Group arrived for a planned visit today, 28 July.
“It seems that Tallinn has become a solid point on the map of NATO’s 1st Permanent Mine Countermeasures Group. The group visits Estonia a couple of times a year and we are always warmly welcomed here. During our stay here, I will meet with representatives of the Tallinn City Government and the Defence Forces, but nevertheless, the most important part always takes place at sea, which is the center of gravity of cooperation between NATO’s permanent forces and the Estonian Navy,” said Lieutenant Piotr Bartosewisz, commander of NATO’s 1st Permanent Mine Countermeasures Group.
A total of six ships of the mine countermeasures group arrived in Tallinn for a visit. In the wolf’s head harbor, the Polish staff ship ORP Czernicki and minehunters ORP Hancza and ORP Druzno moored. Canadian minehunters HMCS Summerside and HMCS Shawiningan and German minehunter FGS Bad Bevensen moored in the mine harbor.
NATO’s 1st Permanent Mine Countermeasures Group (SNMCMG1) is one of four groups of ships under the command of NATO Naval Command, which provides mine countermeasures expertise and is tasked with being among the first rapid responders as a readiness unit. The group consists mainly of ships with allied mine countermeasures capabilities and participates in exercises and large-scale exercises of various countries