Royal Marines raided the Arctic coastline and secured a vital landing point for supply lines working alongside a Norwegian stealth missile ship. The exercise in the fjords of northern Norway saw marines of Plymouth-based 47 Commando, the small boat raiding specialists of 3 Commando Brigade, work closely with Norwegian counterparts and their stealth corvette. Elite commandos were dropped ashore by the Skjold Class Corvette, which has a low radar signature, ship-busting missiles and is able to speed through the water at up to around 70mph. Once ashore, a reconnaissance team from 47 Commando were tasked to secure a keying landing point, allowing for resupply to flow through a ‘contested’ area.
“The range, stealth and firepower of the Corvette aligns perfectly with the Future Commando Force Operating Model that the Royal Marines are moving towards,” said Captain Jack Denniss, Operations Officer of 539 Raiding Squadron. Equipped with capabilities that allow it to dominate Norway’s coastline, the corvette’s stealth and speed also make it highly suited for inserting small teams of commandos into contested areas unseen.
The commandos moved discretely into position, securing the area and coordinating Offshore Raiding Craft and Vikings from Armoured Support Group to provide protection as the Norwegian corvette moved in. Once alongside and secure, the Commando Logistics Regiment (CLR) brought forward vital supplies to replenish the Corvette and prepare it for further tasking.
“The Norwegian Corvette Class is a very impressive platform, able to integrate seamlessly with 47 Commando’s Inshore Raiding Craft teams,” said Major Mat Bayliss, Officer Commanding of 539 Raiding Squadron. “On future iterations of the corps’ Arctic Deployment, we plan to work with the Corvette Squadron even more closely, further refining our interoperability.” “This exercise has been a good example of the flexibility offered by 3 Commando Brigade,” added Captain Denniss. “One of the unique strengths of CLR is their ability to sustain both Brigade assets and allied forces in extreme conditions, without the presence of any major infrastructure.”
