Royal Marines on HMS Prince of Wales board Australia ferry in "anti-terrorism" op near Sydney Opera House
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Experienced Royal Marines swooped on a passenger ferry during an “anti-terrorism” operation in Australia.
Members of 42 Commando boarded the vessel as visitors at the Sydney Opera House watched on. They have been assigned to Operation Higmast, led by HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG).
The Royal Navy said: “Royal Marines swooped on a passenger ferry during anti-terrorism maritime operations training in full view of tourists visiting Sydney Opera House. As part of Australia’s largest-ever military exercise – known as Talisman Sabre 25 – marines from 42 Commando worked with counterparts from the host nation, the USA, Japan and Singapore in Sydney Harbour. The eye-catching training saw allies work on specialist boarding operations together, perfecting the skills needed to hunt down smugglers, terrorists and pirates around the world.”
Personnel in 42 Commando are well versed in such operations. They were deployed alongside HMS Lancaster when they seized £30m of illegal narcotics in May. A total of 80 packages were confiscated, containing 1,000kg of heroin, 660kg of hashish, and 6kg of amphetamine.
Marines are required to board and take control of suspect vessels, one of the most dangerous and complex missions a Commando can undertake. It requires constant honing and practice. This training in Sydney saw the recapture of an iconic green and yellow New South Wales ferry using US Black Hawk helicopters, US Special Forces Chinooks and specialist raiding craft. They were involved heavily in Exercise Talisman Sabre, Australia’s largest annual military operations.
This year’s exercise was the largest ever, with roughly 35,000 personnel participating from 19 nations. It was spread across a vast area from Darwin to Brisbane - extending out to Papua New Guinea. The Royal Navy flagship and her strike group has been operating off Australia’s northern coast for the past few weeks, joining forces with the USS George Washington carrier group.
HMS Prince of Wales hosted the US Marine Corps, who flew their MV-22 Osprey aboard the flagship’s sprawling flight deck – a precursor to more USMC personnel and F-35B jets joining later in the deployment. Exercise Talisman Sabre runs until early August.