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Gibraltar squadron practise sailing tactics in joint exercise
23 October 2024
A variety of sailing procedures and manoeuvres were practised by vessels tasked with protecting Gibraltar territorial waters.
HMS Dagger and HMS Cutlass, of the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron, joined a host of others on the Rock in a joint training exercise off the coast.
It saw them learn and become experienced in a range of key maritime movements from sailing close by and matching speed to forcing potential foes to change course.
The exercise saw the navy boats, including a Pacific 24 rhib, work with the Royal Gibraltar Police, Gibraltar Defence Police and HM’s Customs Gibraltar on a calm sea with good weather.
The day started with the Gibraltar Defence Police hosting a forum to discuss tactics and techniques in pacing, riding off and boarding – giving everyone involved the chance to hear the theory behind the different methods.
Then it was time to take to the water with pacing drills. This sees the lead vessel maintain her course and speed while another vessel matches as closely as possible to the lead boat while remaining nearby.
Looking to maximise the training opportunity, a round-robin of vessel swaps was conducted, ensuring each organisation could put to practise what they were learning.
Following successful pacing drills, with all Coxswains demonstrating strong boat handling skills, the exercise moved onto riding off training.
Adopting a crawl, walk, run approach, soon enough the vessels and coxswains were literally being pushed to their limits
This more aggressive manoeuvre is used to force another vessel off course and disrupt unwanted activity. It involves pacing with a vessel, before making contact and applying pressure to the ship’s side, forcing it into a turn.
Although a commonly practiced move within their own organisations, the training benefit of being able to practice this manoeuvre with unfamiliar, but friendly, vessels was key.
Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Davies, the Commanding Officer of HMS Dagger said: “Adopting a crawl, walk, run approach, soon enough the vessels and coxswains were literally being pushed to their limits.”
On completion of the serials, the units sailed back to the naval base, this time with HMCG Vessel Searcher leading the formation.
Once inside the base, the final serial saw the Gibraltar Defence Police demonstrate an armed boarding exercise on HMS Dagger, a final phase in training the police force have been doing over the past few weeks.
Lt Cdr Davies added: “This inter-op was a fantastic opportunity for RNGS to build on its existing relationship with all the organisations involved. Where we operate within the same waters, carrying out a broad spectrum of roles, it makes perfect sense to operate together.
“These exercises also go a long way to improving our operational capability while providing reassurance to Gibraltarians that our presence on the water is significant and government organisations can co-operate effectively if required.”
Planning is already underway for the next exercise, which will see the units carry out more complex serials and look to exploit any opportunities in developing capability.