Exercise Joint Warrior 16-1

Time has come around again for the first of NATO's Joint Warrior exercises for 2016.

There seemed to be less naval participants than in some previous gatherings, however I was pleased to have seen vessels which I have not previously photographed.

More pictures are available in my Picasa galleries.

Spanish frigate ESPS Alvaro de Bazan passing Roseneath

RFA Wave Ruler A390 being escorted up Loch Long

C130 Hercules flying low over US supply ship Robert E Peary at entrance to Loch Striven

Three ships lying at the Roseneath anchorages

German submarine U34 enters the restricted waters of Gareloch

A spot of fishing going on perhaps? Danish support ship Absalon heading for Glasgow

German support ship FGS Donau A516 leaving Faslane after the Sunday briefing

KDM Peter Willemoes passes the Rhu spit escorted by two Svitzer tugs

Operation Joint Warrior 142

The second NATO Joint Warrior exercise of 2014 has brought participants from the participating navies to the west of Scotland once again.

After an early start on Thursday morning we were disappointed to hear that many of the ships had gone to anchor instead of berthing at Faslane naval base.

Only 3 foreign ships came into Gareloch with many hours spent waiting in vain for the anchored vessels to take shelter in the base.

Only 2 ships headed for Glasgow, with KDM Peter Willemoes going up on Friday morning to join fellow Danish ship HDMS Hvidbjørnen which arrived the previous day.

With news over the weekend of impending bad weather, the departures were delayed from the usual Sunday till Monday, meaning I would not be around for them sailing.

After hearing on Sunday of the American oiler planning to leave ahead of the remainder of the ships, we headed for Cumbrae to catch her sailing down the Firth of Clyde from Loch Striven.

USS Vicksburg is the first arrival in Gareloch

The crew are all presented on deck

USS Vicksburg making her way to Faslane

USS Jason Dunham, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer is the next visitor

Looking forward to getting into port

Royal Navy minehunter HMS Blyth being followed by SD Eva, a SERCO personnel carrier

Spanish frigate SPS Cristobal Colon arriving on Thursday afternoon

SPS Cristobal Colon

KDM Peter Willemoes, an Iver Huitfeldt class frigate of the Royal Danish Navy passing Greenock on Friday

KDM Peter Willemoes heading to Glasgow

US support oiler USNS Kanawha

USNS Kanawha passing through the Cumbrae Gap

Operation Joint Warrior 28/3/14

More ships arrived today to take part in the first Joint Warrior exercise of 2014.

Today's highlight was the arrival the US contingent, five of which went to Faslane with a sixth ship anchoring off Roseneath.

The last arrival of the day was the Danish Thetis class frigate, HDMS Triton.

CG72 USS Vella Gulf escorted by a police rib

Arleigh Burke class destroyer DDG95 USS James E William

FFG58 USS Samuel B Roberts escorted by SERCO tugs

CCG55 USS Leyte Gulf, a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser

DDG67 USS Cole, the second Arleigh Burke destroyer to arrive

Danish Thetis class frigate F358 HDMS Triton

L3007, RFA Lyme Bay anchored off Kilcreggan

DDG71 USS Ross anchored in the Clyde

Operation Joint Warrior 27/3/14

The first of the 2014 Joint Warrior exercises takes placed over the next two weeks.

Warships from the participating navies are on their way to the exercise.

Most of the ships are expected to gather in the Clyde, with the first of them already here.

An early trip to Rhu for HMS Bulwark's arrival was followed by a couple of pictures of HMS Kent and the Dutch frigate HNLMS Van Speijk anchored off Greenock.

L15 HMS Bulwark approaching Rhu narrows

L15 HMS Bulwark

Aft deck of HMS Bulwark

F78 HMS Kent at anchor off Greenock

Frigate F828 HNLMS Van Speijk of the Royal Netherlands Navy

Joint Warrior arrivals

The cruise ships are over and we are now on to the grey boats.

This weekend sees the start of Operation Joint Warrior, a twice yearly exercise off the west coast of Scotland.

This autumn's exercise seems to be a lot smaller scale than previous ones.

Today we had 2  arrivals to Faslane naval base with 1 vessel departing.

HMS Northumberland headed for King George V dock in Glasgow instead, so we had a quick dash to Braehead to catch her as she was escorted upriver by tugs Battler & Bruiser.

KNM Utvaer escorted by a MOD police launch

S303 - KNM Utvaer

KNM Utvaer's crew on top of her coning tower

KNM Utvaer heading for Faslane base

KNM Utvaer and HMS Severn, passing each other in Gareloch

P282 - HMS Severn departing Gareloch through Rhu narrows

HMS Severn

HMS Severn passing Roseneath

French frigate, La Motte-Picquet

Crew lined up on the deck of La Motte-Picquet

The mist lifting for La Motte-Picquet

HMS Northumberland heading for Glasgow

Battler and Bruiser escorting HMS Northumberland

HMS Northumberland passing BAE's Scotstoun yard

Bruiser prepares to take a line from the warship HMS Northumberland

HMS Northumberland approaching King George V dock in Glasgow

US sub heading for Faslane

One of the US navy's Virginia class subs paid a visit to Faslane naval base today.

She was escorted by a pair of Serco tugs and the MOD police as she came through Rhu narrows this morning.