Yankee Squadron

Yankee Squadron consists of two highly trained Units, comprising of Mine Warfare Operators supported by a hybrid team of Marine and Weapons Engineers to enable deployment of next generation autonomous systems. Operating from a Temporary Staging Base on land, or embarked on a vessel, Yankee delivers coverage across the entirety of the UK in support of homeland defence.

Role

Yankee Squadron is a highly adaptable Mine Countermeasures and Seabed Warfare unit, maintained at high readiness to support homeland defence. Their mission is to deliver flexible, dynamic, and deployable lethality across the maritime domain, ensuring freedom of action and deterrence in UK waters.

Equipped with advanced systems and specialist expertise, they provide offensive and defensive capabilities to counter underwater threats and safeguard critical underwater infrastructure. Operating independently or as part of joint and combined forces, they deliver decisive effects where and when required.

Capability

Yankee Squadron exploits the underwater environment alongside advanced Mine Countermeasures capabilities to safeguard UK homeland waters. Their expertise includes detection and identification of underwater threats.

Key capabilities include:

Maritime Mine Counter-Measures (MMCM)
Seacat Medium Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (MUUV)
Gavia UUV

Crew

Yankee squadron is comprised of 58 personnel, divided into 2 distinct Operational Units (YU1 and YU2), alongside a highly trained Engineering Support Unit. Based out of HMNB Portsmouth, the Squadron is Commanded by a Lieutenant Commander, and Unit each is led by an Officer-in-Charge (OiC).

Unit 1 employs the MMCM system for rapid, high-precision mine detection and neutralization while,

Unit 2 operates the Gavia Unmanned Underwater Vehicle for detailed seabed mapping and threat classification. Unit 2 will also integrate the Seacat MUUV, creating a versatile, interoperable force able to secure maritime freedom of manoeuvre in complex and contested environments.

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