Royal Navy warship joins Nato mission to tackle terrorists and smugglers in the Mediterranean
NEW Portsmouth warship HMS Trent has joined a Nato mission in the Mediterranean targeting terrorists and smugglers.
The offshore patrol vessel has been supporting Operation Sea Guardian, the year-round commitment to protect the region from illegal activity.
Trent has been operating with Greek and Bulgarian warships and Turkish submarines patrolling the Med.
And while joining the Nato operation, Trent’s crew have been sharpening their skills at sea, rehearsing man overboard and machinery breakdown drills.
Their time at sea also gave the ship’s newly-qualified warfare officers the chance to carry out navigation training through the Straits of Messina, between Italy and Sicily and Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia.
Sub-Lieutenant Dominic Olivier, 24, said: ‘Being on HMS Trent for my specialist fleet time is an excellent opportunity as it is a great ship for me to conduct the training I need to become an officer of the watch and its programme is perfect for supporting me and helping me develop my real world skills.’
Earlier in her deployment, a routine stop in Gibraltar gave Trent’s sailors the chance to offer some help to the Gibraltar Naval Trust.
HMS Trent also met up with Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon which spent three months in the Mediterranean as part of the Royal Navy’s amphibious task group.
After leaving flagship HMS Albion, Dragon conducted some training with Trent before sailing back to her home port of Portsmouth last week.
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