Largest NATO squadron of navy vessels since WWII in loch

[Kintyre Forum News]

If you look at the www.visitkintyre.info webcam you will notice a very busy Campbeltown harbour with eight minesweepers in Campbeltown Loch as part of a NATO exercise.

Between 250 and 300 personnel are expected ashore from October 15th to 19th with the ships leaving Campbeltown harbour on Tuesday morning.

http://www.visitkintyre.info/webcam/index.htm

Will try to post some photos later.

[Crowth]

From what I can gathe,r the ships at Campbeltown go under the heading 'Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1'. They are 2 Polish, 1 British, 1 German, 1 Norwegian, 1 Belgian, 1 Dutch and 1 Estonian.

M313 Admiral Cowan (Estonia, formerly HMS Sandown) and (I think) M106 HMS Penzance



M917 Crocus (Belgium) and M862 Zierikzee (Netherlands)



M1061 Rottweil (Germany) and M343 Hinnoy (Norway)





511 ORP Kontraadmiral X Czernicki and 623 ORP Mewa




The Mewa has a very interesting history. She was a Jaskółka-class minesweeper of the Polish Navy at the outset of World War II. Mewa participated in the defense of Poland against Nazi aggression in 1939. The ship was hit by a Nazi bomb on 1 September 1939 which caused damage. On 3 September she was hit by bombs again and sunk. Later she was refloated and then captured by the Germans. After the war she returned to serve under the Polish flag. In 1987 ORP Mewa gained the distinction of having Pope John Paul II aboard.

[Kintyre Forum News]

Thanks for posting these Crowth - Saturday really was a beautiful day!