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Royal Navy patrol craft join Latvian allies in exercise to safeguard Baltic waters
24 September 2025
Royal Navy fast patrol boats furiously churned up the Baltic as they worked with Latvian forces to protect the region at sea.
His Majesty’s Ships Dasher, Express, Puncher and Pursuer – all P2000 Archer-class craft – worked in both the open Baltic and the more sheltered waters of the Gulf of Riga to develop individual and combined skills to safeguard Latvian shores and waters, bolstering regional security and fostering international maritime cooperation.
Latvia has a coastline extending for around 500 kilometres (over 300 miles) from the border with Lithuania to Estonia in the Gulf of Riga.
It’s protected by both the Latvian Navy and the country’s Coast Guard, who together operate a mix of mine warfare vessels and patrol craft.
Meanwhile over the past few years the P2000s have been developing tactics to advance the Royal Navy’s use of small craft in waters close to shore, including through the use of uncrewed systems.
After taking part in a large-scale exercise off the German Baltic shore, Northern Coasts, the boats from the Portsmouth-based Coastal Forces Squadron pushed deeper into the Baltic.
Off the Latvian coast – and with ideal sea conditions – the P2000 crews knuckled down to Exercise Eastern Sea, which ran through a range of likely scenarios, joint manoeuvres and combined drills.
"It has been a pleasure to train with our Latvian Joint Expeditionary Force partners during Exercise Eastern Sea,” said Lieutenant John Hawke, Commanding Officer of HMS Pursuer, which is based in Plymouth when in UK waters.
Their navy and coastguard have deep experience working close to their shores, so sharing experiences and procedures has been enjoyable and mutually beneficial. The Coastal Forces Squadron looks forward to further such work as we continue our activity.
“Their navy and coastguard have deep experience working close to their shores, so sharing experiences and procedures has been enjoyable and mutually beneficial. The Coastal Forces Squadron looks forward to further such work as we continue our activity."
Eastern Sea ended with the four British boats sailing the short distance up the Daugava estuary to visit the Latvian capital, Riga.
Eastern Sea is one strand of a series of early autumn exercises involving the Joint Expedition Force, a coalition of nations committed to the safety, security and prosperity of northern European waters, in particular the Scandinavian-Baltic region.
Given the overarching name Tarassis, the series of half a dozen smaller exercises is spread across a vast area (Norway, Latvia, Finland and the eastern Baltic) and embracing operations by land, sea and air, stretching from the beginning of September until mid-October.
Royal Navy involvement centres on the P2000s in the Baltic and around 1,000 Royal Marines of 40 and 47 Commando and the Commando Logistics Regiment operating in the Norwegian Arctic with amphibious support ship RFA Lyme Bay.
The aim is to demonstrate both the readiness and combined effectiveness of JEF nations and deter any malign activity in the Baltic/Scandinavian regions.