Mine, mine, all mine!!!! - NATO Mine Countermeasures Group in Cork
"The Germans have landed!" - Now there's a headline to grab your attention. I have to admit I unconciously checked my calendar when I saw that subtle, tasteful headline in my Google News feed, just to make sure that April 1st hadn't come early. A quick check of the link quickly brought certainty. A multinational naval task force had indeed entered the Port of Cork, including a German Warship. However, this whole affair wasn't due to the Troika loosing patience with Ireland. The ships belonging to a NATO standing squadron had conducted exercises with the Irish Defence Forces for the last two weeks, and were now in Cork for a courtesy visit.
The ships, all of them minesweepers or minehunters, belonged to Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), one of two such task forces always at sea and available for operations. While the German minehunter in the group, the FGS Weilheim, had caught most of the public attention, the force was actually led by the ORP Czernicki, a Polish Logistics Support and Landing Ship. They had been escorted into Cork by the LE Aisling, one of the Irish Naval Services Offshore Patrol Vessels. All Ships, the six vessels of SNMCMG1 and the LE Aisling would be open to the public over the Easter Weekend. For a Naval buff like me, that was one opportunity I could not afford to miss. So, after spending Easter Sunday with friends, it was time on Monday to brave the Irish "Spring" of 7°C and biting South-Easterly winds to make my way to the City Docks.
My first destination was the flagship of the Task Group, the ORP Konteradmiral Xawery Czernicki. She is the only current member of SNMCMG1 that is not a minesweeper or minehunter. Originally ordered by the Russian Navy in 2000, she was later finished for the Polish Navy after the Russians bowed out of the contract. She is the largest ship of the force, measuring 73,8 meters from bow to stern. While only lightly armed, she has the capability to refuel other ships while at sea, as well as providing helicopter handling facilities, and the capability of landing amphibious forces using dedicated landing craft and vehicles embarked on its multipurpose deck. The main attraction for me though was the tent that had been set up on the flight deck for some official reception. That wind was unbearable!
From the largest ship of the force it was on to the smallest, another Polish vessel, the minesweeper ORP Czajka. She is the oldest ship in the force, having been launched in 1967. She also seemed to me to be the smallest ship in the force, and I shuddered at the thought that this little ship would continue on to the Faroe Islands and Iceland with the rest of the Group.
After this literally frosty experience, I quickly made my way across the River Lee. Moored at Customs House Quay were two almost identical ships. Both the Belgian Minehunter BNS Bellis and the Dutch HNLMS Urk are Tripartite class minehunters, designed and built by France, The Netherlands, and Belgium from the late 1970s onwards. These ships were originally built in large numbers, due to the expected need of a large mineclearing capability in case the Cold War ever turned hot in Europe. Even the diminuitive Belgian Navy operated ten ships of this class at its peak. Not bad for a country with just two major ports and 65 Kilometers of coastline!
My destination was BNS Bellis, the Belgian contribution to SNMCMG1. She was launched in 1984, and is one of six Tripartite class minehunters still in service with the Belgian Navy. Her crew was noticeably more hospitable than their Polish counterparts, even the bridge was open to visitors, a welcome gesture in the biting wind.
You may have noticed that I have repeatedly used both Minesweeper and Minehunter. I guess I should take some time to explain what the difference between these two terms is. Generally speaking, minesweepers clear large areas of mines at once, while Minehunters target individual mines.
To clear large swathes of the seafloor at once, it is best to use a technique that hasn't changed much since the days of the first minesweeping trawlers. Originally, a minesweeper would deploy cables that were held outboard and behind it by boards not unlike those that stabilize a trawler's fishing net. These cables would be fitted with wire cutters at certain intervals. If a mooring cable of a mine got caught, it would slide along the trawled cable until it reached a wire cutter, which would cut loose the mine and let it float to the surface. Once surfaced and spotted, the mine would be detonated. The preferred tool for this was a high powered military rifle.
Nowadays, this doesn't work that well anymore, since modern mines are not anchored by mooring cables anymore. Instead, they're positioned directly on the seafloor, and are triggered by the magnetic field of a passing ship or its sonar signature. The solution was simple: Keep the cable, but replace the wire cutters with either powerful sonars or equally powerful electromagnets. Theoretically, this should detonate any mine passed by these decoys. You just need to take care that your own ship doesn't get blown up in the process. That is the reason why most minesweepers and minehunters are relatively small, and sport either degaussed hulls, fibreglass hulls, or hulls made of non-ferrous metals. They are also equipped to mask their own sonar signature.
Minehunters use a whole different approach. They will use remotely operated vehicles (ROV) like the ScanEagle I mentioned in the captions for BNS Bellis to ferret out a mine, and then use divers or another ROV to take them out. Most navies nowadays prefer ROVs over divers for that job, as they are easier to replace. This approach became necessary because mines were equipped with better sensors and electronics, and some mines, like the US Mk.60 CAPTOR can actually go after the ship that is trying to clear them. It is simply safer to stay back and let robots take all the risks.
But back to my original post. I decided against visiting HNLMS Urk, as I had already seen a Tripartite class vessel, and a second vessel of the type did not seem all that interesting to me. My next destination would more than make up for that. In my eyes, she was the most interesting vessel in port on that day.
HNoMS Hinnöy is easily the most advanced ship of SNMCMG1. Commissioned in 1995, this Oksöy class minehunter is the perfect example of the affinity all Scandinavian navies have for advanced technology. Her Wikipedia entry is extremely brief, the first indication that all is not as it appears on this ship. Hinnöy is a surface effect ship (SES). She is basically a catamaran. The space between her hulls is sealed fore and aft by rubber skirts. Powerful fans can be used to pressurize this space, creating an air cushion like that used by a hovercraft. Unlike hovercraft, a SES never completely leaves the water. Still, Hinnöy can reduce her draught from 2,50m to just 90cm, enabling her to enter waters that are inaccessible to other ships of her size. The Norwegian Navy quickly realized the advantage of this technology, and has made good use of it, having three classes of surface effect warships in her fleet. In addition to the Oksöy and Alta class minehunters, they also operate six Skjöld class missile attack boats.
But enough of that, an back to Hinnöy. Her slanted lines indicate that stealth technology was utilized during her construction, and one can easily assume that her sleek appearance also drastically reduces her radar cross section. It is also a safe bet that she is equipped with extensive jamming equipment as well as with systems to reduce her infrared signature in order to make her less attractive for any incoming missiles. Still, the public was free to roam the ship, though the insides of the ship were out of bound. One thing that was unusual was the gangway watch. The young sailor saluted everyone who went aboard or left the ship. That certainly felt strange, being saluted while going aboard an active duty warship!
After leaving Hinnöy, and being saluted again, the next stop was The ship that had caused the headline that lead me here, the FGS Weilheim. She is a Frankenthal class minehunter and one of 17 mine countermeasures vessels in the German Navy. Like many German minehunters, she sees her fair share of real action, as the waters off the German coasts are still littered with mines and unexploded ordinance from two world wars. The same goes for the costal waters of many other countries in Europe as well. You could say that the mine countermeasures forces in Europe have been involved in "the real thing" for over 60 years.
Weilheim was the last ship of SNMCMG1. There was still one warship outstanding though. LE Aisling had escorted the ships into port and was herself open to visitors. While the crews of all ships in port had been courteous and welcoming, the hospitality aboard Aisling was something else. She had no flashy underwater robots to show off, and didn't look unusual. She wasn't even heavily armed, sporting just a 40mm Bofors bow gun, and two 20mm Rheinmetall automatic cannons. Still, her crew provided guided tours for everyone who was interested.
LE Aisling is one of the Irish Naval Service's oldest vessels, having been launched in 1979 and commissioned in 1980. Her home port is of course Haulbowline Island Naval Base in Cork Harbour, just off Cobh. She is one of originally four ships of the Deirdre class of offshore patrol vessels (OPV). The lead ship has already been decommissioned due to her age, and two other ships of the class, LE Emer and LE Aoife are slated for decommissioning over the next couple of years as two newly built 90m OPVs enter the fleet. No details are available about a potential replacement for LE Aisling.
One Interesting piece that I picked up during the tour was that, despite being designed for the North Atlantic, LE Aisling and her sister ships apparently didn't handle too well in rough seas. Apparently, Aisling has a heavy bow, causing her forecastle to take on large amounts of water yet. Furthermore, she has an issue with excessive rolling, despite being fitted with stabilizers. My guide talked about the ship having rolled to 35 degrees during one of her last patrols. Of course, he didn't mention what kind of weather they were in. The North Atlantic is after all capable of producing waves that overwhelm even the largest ship. The Ocean Ranger tragedy should prove that beyond any reasonable doubt.
That proved to be the end for a truly memorable Easter Monday. As I made my way home, I couldn't really wrap my head about what I had seen and heard. Visiting six ships on one afternoon. That's gotta be some kind of record.
I couldn't really think about anything else though, as my feet were making their displeasure at all that walking abundantly clear. The wind hadn't slackened either. I have to say that I was more than happy when I was back in my apartment. Still, apart from a lot of grey pictures and cold memories, I will leave you with one other impression that I took away from that day.
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| The crest of Standing NATO Mine Countermeassures Group 1 |
My first destination was the flagship of the Task Group, the ORP Konteradmiral Xawery Czernicki. She is the only current member of SNMCMG1 that is not a minesweeper or minehunter. Originally ordered by the Russian Navy in 2000, she was later finished for the Polish Navy after the Russians bowed out of the contract. She is the largest ship of the force, measuring 73,8 meters from bow to stern. While only lightly armed, she has the capability to refuel other ships while at sea, as well as providing helicopter handling facilities, and the capability of landing amphibious forces using dedicated landing craft and vehicles embarked on its multipurpose deck. The main attraction for me though was the tent that had been set up on the flight deck for some official reception. That wind was unbearable!
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| ORP Czernicki in Port. |
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| Powered by Camel? It looks like big brand tobacco companies are looking for new sponsorship deals... |
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| On the Czernicki's forecastle. That cloaked thing in front of the bridge is the ship's main weapons system, a combined 23mm gun and SAM (Surface to Air Missile) launcher. |
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| View of the stern of ORP Czernicki. The ramps enable her to deploy armored personnel carriers, trucks, and other military vehicles, just as long as there's a bit of quayside left that hasn't been shot to pieces. So they're probably not of much use when operating with the US Navy. |
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| ORP Czajka has the classic lines of a warship designed in the Warsaw Pact States. |
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| A view of Czajka's open quarterdeck. That, together with the slippery deck and the fierce wind was the main reason that I did not spend much time on her. |
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| A view of ORP Czajka from the other side of the port, showing her small size. |
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| No, you're not seeing double... HNLMS Urk (left) and BNS Bellis (right) seen from the forecastle of ORP Czernicki. |
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| Another, clearer, view of BNS Bellis. A good-looking sturdy ship in my opinion. |
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| A Browning 50. cal heavy machine gun aboard BNS Bellis. Admit it, there are days when you wish you had one of these at work! |
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| Slightly less satisfying than a Browning machine gun, but a lot more interesting: A SAAB/Thales ScanEagle Mk III ROV. These things are used to ferret out mines deposited on the seafloor. |
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| Once the ScanEagle has spotted a potential target, it is retrieved and this baby is sent in: An Atlas Elektronik SeaFox ROV. It is equipped with cameras and floodlights to enable a visual inspection of the target. If it turns out to be valid, meaning either a mine or unexploded ordinance, a shaped charge mounted in the bow of the Seafox is detonated, destroying both it and the target. |
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| A View of BNS Bellis' quarterdeck showing the cranes used to deploy and retrieve the ROVs. |
To clear large swathes of the seafloor at once, it is best to use a technique that hasn't changed much since the days of the first minesweeping trawlers. Originally, a minesweeper would deploy cables that were held outboard and behind it by boards not unlike those that stabilize a trawler's fishing net. These cables would be fitted with wire cutters at certain intervals. If a mooring cable of a mine got caught, it would slide along the trawled cable until it reached a wire cutter, which would cut loose the mine and let it float to the surface. Once surfaced and spotted, the mine would be detonated. The preferred tool for this was a high powered military rifle.
Nowadays, this doesn't work that well anymore, since modern mines are not anchored by mooring cables anymore. Instead, they're positioned directly on the seafloor, and are triggered by the magnetic field of a passing ship or its sonar signature. The solution was simple: Keep the cable, but replace the wire cutters with either powerful sonars or equally powerful electromagnets. Theoretically, this should detonate any mine passed by these decoys. You just need to take care that your own ship doesn't get blown up in the process. That is the reason why most minesweepers and minehunters are relatively small, and sport either degaussed hulls, fibreglass hulls, or hulls made of non-ferrous metals. They are also equipped to mask their own sonar signature.
Minehunters use a whole different approach. They will use remotely operated vehicles (ROV) like the ScanEagle I mentioned in the captions for BNS Bellis to ferret out a mine, and then use divers or another ROV to take them out. Most navies nowadays prefer ROVs over divers for that job, as they are easier to replace. This approach became necessary because mines were equipped with better sensors and electronics, and some mines, like the US Mk.60 CAPTOR can actually go after the ship that is trying to clear them. It is simply safer to stay back and let robots take all the risks.
But back to my original post. I decided against visiting HNLMS Urk, as I had already seen a Tripartite class vessel, and a second vessel of the type did not seem all that interesting to me. My next destination would more than make up for that. In my eyes, she was the most interesting vessel in port on that day.
HNoMS Hinnöy is easily the most advanced ship of SNMCMG1. Commissioned in 1995, this Oksöy class minehunter is the perfect example of the affinity all Scandinavian navies have for advanced technology. Her Wikipedia entry is extremely brief, the first indication that all is not as it appears on this ship. Hinnöy is a surface effect ship (SES). She is basically a catamaran. The space between her hulls is sealed fore and aft by rubber skirts. Powerful fans can be used to pressurize this space, creating an air cushion like that used by a hovercraft. Unlike hovercraft, a SES never completely leaves the water. Still, Hinnöy can reduce her draught from 2,50m to just 90cm, enabling her to enter waters that are inaccessible to other ships of her size. The Norwegian Navy quickly realized the advantage of this technology, and has made good use of it, having three classes of surface effect warships in her fleet. In addition to the Oksöy and Alta class minehunters, they also operate six Skjöld class missile attack boats.
But enough of that, an back to Hinnöy. Her slanted lines indicate that stealth technology was utilized during her construction, and one can easily assume that her sleek appearance also drastically reduces her radar cross section. It is also a safe bet that she is equipped with extensive jamming equipment as well as with systems to reduce her infrared signature in order to make her less attractive for any incoming missiles. Still, the public was free to roam the ship, though the insides of the ship were out of bound. One thing that was unusual was the gangway watch. The young sailor saluted everyone who went aboard or left the ship. That certainly felt strange, being saluted while going aboard an active duty warship!
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| A closeup of HNoMS Hinnöys bows. You can clearly see the rubber skirts just underneath her forward anchor. |
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| Another view from ahead, showing her unusual profile. |
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| View from one of the ship's wing bridges toward her bow. |
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| Yet another Browning Machine Gun. One thing I noticed aboard Hinnöy was that, nonwithstanding the fact that her Sinbad dual SAM launcher was unloaded (duh!), her weapons were apparently in excellent condition. It reinforces my opinion that you mess with Norway and the other Scandinavian nations at your own peril. |
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| I'll have four of those please! MBDA Sinbad Dual Launcher for Mistral, short range Infrared guided surface to air missiles. As mentioned before, I'm pretty damn sure that there were no missiles in the launcher. |
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| Gyroscopic Compass on HNoMS Hinnöy. |
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| Is it just me or are naval officers getting younger and younger these days? Impressions on the bridge of FGS Weilheim |
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| I have to admit that I didn't take many pictures of FGS Weilheim. I guess I was to busy warming up on her bridge. |
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| One of Aisling's sister ships working her way through a relatively benign sea. |
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| LE Aisling moored in Cork. |
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| Where the hell did that guy come from? SEAL, pardon me, I mean seal in the Port of Cork. |
One Interesting piece that I picked up during the tour was that, despite being designed for the North Atlantic, LE Aisling and her sister ships apparently didn't handle too well in rough seas. Apparently, Aisling has a heavy bow, causing her forecastle to take on large amounts of water yet. Furthermore, she has an issue with excessive rolling, despite being fitted with stabilizers. My guide talked about the ship having rolled to 35 degrees during one of her last patrols. Of course, he didn't mention what kind of weather they were in. The North Atlantic is after all capable of producing waves that overwhelm even the largest ship. The Ocean Ranger tragedy should prove that beyond any reasonable doubt.
That proved to be the end for a truly memorable Easter Monday. As I made my way home, I couldn't really wrap my head about what I had seen and heard. Visiting six ships on one afternoon. That's gotta be some kind of record.
I couldn't really think about anything else though, as my feet were making their displeasure at all that walking abundantly clear. The wind hadn't slackened either. I have to say that I was more than happy when I was back in my apartment. Still, apart from a lot of grey pictures and cold memories, I will leave you with one other impression that I took away from that day.
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