HMS MONTROSE
Vigilance can report that After an extremely busy seven month deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf region, HMS MONTROSE has begun her journey home after handing over the duties on the operation to remove chemicals from Syria to HMS DIAMOND.
Since arriving in the Eastern Mediterranean in January, HMS MONTROSE has been working alongside warships from Denmarkand Norway to carry out escort and protection duties of two merchant vessels which are transporting the chemicals from Syria for onward destruction, a mission that has seen co-ordination with Russian and Chinese warships which are also operating in the area. Talking about the role that his ship has had in the operation over the last month, the Commanding Officer of HMS MONTROSE, Commander James Parkin Royal Navy explained, “The Task Group as a whole operates seamlessly together. Having been re-tasked from operations in the Gulf, my Ship’s Company and I were all honoured to be part of an operation of such global significance.”
Against a backdrop of civil war, and with the Syrian regime responsible for organising the ground movement of the so-called “precursor chemicals”, MONTROSE, together with the multi national task group, has been providing close protection to the merchant vessels Taiko and Ark Futura carrying the cargo in the eastern Mediterranean. While the Danish flagship HDMS ESBERN SNARE and Norwegian warship, HNoMS HELGE INGSTAD, have accompanied the merchant ships into the port ofLatakia, MONTROSE has remained outside Syrian waters using her sensors to monitor the wider situation around the port, before re-joining the quartet when they leave harbour. To date, three cargo loads of chemicals have been safely escorted out ofSyria for destruction as part of the United Nations Security Resolution to dispose of the chemical weapons precursors. Once the declared Syrian chemical stockpile has been removed from the country, the warships will escort the civilian vessels to Gioia Tauro, near the south-western tip of Italy, where those materials of greatest concern will be transferred to a US Government vessel, MV Cape Ray, for subsequent destruction.
MONTROSE has received specific praise for her efforts from Sigrid Kaag, the Head of the “Joint Mission” set up by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations (UN), to remove and destroy the ingredients used for the manufacture of Syrian chemical weapons, when she said, “The Commanding Officer and crew of HMS MONTROSE should be proud of their courage and commitment which speaks volumes for the UK’s vision for international peace and security.”
Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Mark Francois, talking after the handover between the ships, said: “I am proud of the role that the UK is playing in the international mission to remove chemical precursors from Syria. I would like to thank the crew of HMS Montrose who have ably assisted our Danish and Norwegian partners while escorting the chemicals in international waters.”
Since sailing from Plymouth Sound over 6 months ago, HMS MONTROSE spent the first 4 months of her deployment inside the Gulf on Operation KIPION, conducting maritime security and reassurance patrols, working with partner nations in the region, and safeguarding the sea lanes of the Middle East, all tasks which are vital to the United Kingdom.
MONTROSE will now head back to the UK to take some well-earned leave with families; she is due back to British waters in mid-March. After he had visited the ship to address the Commanding Officer and crew, the Commander of the Op RECSYR Task Group, Commodore Torben Mikkelsen of the Royal Danish Navy signalled, “HMS MONTROSE has participated [in Operation RECSYR] in a very professional manner and you have contributed to making the world a safer place to be. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your most professional contribution. I wish you and your crew a safe passage back to home [and] you can return to the UK in the best possible manner, knowing that you have made a difference to OP RECSYR and the overall mission to remove chemical agents from Syria. Thank you so much for the professional and dedicated work.”
Before they departed, and in recognition of the significant contribution made by HMS MONTROSE whilst on task, the Commander of the Task Force, Rear Admiral Frank Trojahn of the Royal Danish Navy said, “I want to thank you and your crew for your invaluable contribution to our task of removing and escorting chemical agents out of Syria. The success of our mission rests upon a foundation of broad international support and MONTROSE’s active and professional participation in the operation has been extremely valuable”.
Commander James Parkin added: “As we now hand over to HMS DIAMOND to continue the good work that we have started, I am incredibly proud of my Ship’s Company who have reacted really well to the intense work that this mission has demanded. From our work in the Gulf, to our time on RECSYR, the deployment has been a huge success in every one of the many tasks that my team have undertaken”.
The CO of HMS DIAMOND, Commander Andrew Ingham (who joined the Navy on the same day as Commander Parkin), welcomed the chance to commence his tasking in the Eastern Mediterranean: “Following many months of training and material preparations, everyone in DIAMOND is excited to be starting the operational part of our deployment today. We are all very aware of the international importance of Op RECSYR, and we look forward to building on the sterling work done by MONTROSE in ensuring that the mission to remove chemicals from Syria is completed.”