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Forth goes south in support of combined Army-RAF-Navy exercise across the South Atlantic
31 December 2025
“…They said there’d be snow at Christmas…”
And for the crew of HMS Forth there was as the Falklands Islands’ patrol ship closed out 2025 supporting a combined Army-RAF-Navy exercise in remote South Georgia.
It’s high summer in the South Atlantic and a balmy 10 or even 12 Celsius by day in the island chain, which lies about 900 miles from the Falklands.
But the waters around South Georgia are a mere 6 Celsius and the proximity of Antarctica mean bergs of various sizes are commonplace, while the upper slopes of mountains which rise above 9,000ft are snow covered.
Operation Southern Sovereignty spanned an area of almost 1½ million square miles of the South Atlantic – a triangle covering UK military personnel and units in the Falklands, Ascension Island and South Georgia.
River-class patrol ship HMS Forth, coming up to her sixth anniversary operating from East Cove Military Port, acted as flagship from which Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands, Brigadier Charlie Harmer, and his staff directed activities, ensuring unity of effort by land, sea and air.
Also embarked was a detachment from the Royal Irish Regiment, the current Roulement Infantry Company in the Falklands, and air support courtesy of RAF Typhoon and an A400M transporter from Mount Pleasant Complex.
The operation also featured a RIC detachment deployed to Ascension Island – like the Falklands one of several small, isolated British Overseas Territories dotted around the South Atlantic.
Beyond a test of logistics and operational objectives, UK forces supported a critical development project for the South Georgia government, helping to move stores from Maiviken Cove to the ‘capital’ Grytviken – a distance of under two miles, if there were roads.
There are not, so it took a combined RN-Army trek across the rugged terrain instead.
With help from the island’s government and British Antarctic Survey, Forth’s crew got ashore at Grytviken, explored the abandoned whaling station, and paid their respects at the grave of legendary Edwardian polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Increasingly popular with eco-tourists/Antarctic cruise liners, South Georgia can only be visited by sea – and is well worth the effort says Commander Grahame Graham-Flint, Forth’s Commanding Officer who took charge of the River-class vessel in mid-December.
He described it as “one of the most spectacular places on the planet”.
He continued: “We visited Possession Bay, anchored in Stromness Harbour and came alongside at King Edward Point, surrounded by icebergs, fur seals, and snow-covered mountains - a truly spectacular place.”
Brigadier Harmer said of the combined exercise: “Southern Sovereignty enabled me to test our ability to project power across the Joint Operational Area and in the sea, land and air domains concurrently.
“Whilst it reassures the population, ultimately it contributes to my mission to deter aggression in the South Atlantic Islands and demonstrates UK sovereignty in action.”