NATO WARSHIP F803

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Last Russian submarine evacuated from Syria monitored by NATO

On Jan 14 the "Tromp", which is currently the flagship of NATO Task Force 1, was waiting at the exit of the Kadetrinne off Rügen, while carrying out maritime surveillance for the NATO, to monitor the Russian submarine "Novorossiysk", which had previously been stationed in Tartus, on its way into the Baltic sea, one month after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, with the evacuation of Russian forces from Syria progressing. The "Kilo" class submarine has returned to the Baltic Sea after a trip of 4200 nautical miles. The "Novorossiysk" is the last submarine of the Black Sea Fleet to be withdrawn from the Mediterranean. The submarine, with the registration B261, has only been in service with the Russian Navy for ten years. It can be armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles. On its way to the Baltic Sea, the "Novorossiysk" was escorted by the frigate "Boikiy" of the Baltic Fleet. What will happen to the boat now is unclear. In the Baltic Sea, it will probably be attached to the Baltic Fleet together with its sister boat "Krasnodar". The "Krasnodar", like the "Novorossiysk", was in the Mediterranean when Russia's attack on Ukraine began on Feb 24, 2022. Both submarines were unable to return to the Black Sea through the Bosporus, as Turkey generally prohibits foreign warships from passing through during a war in the Black Sea. The "Novorossiysk" had left Tartus in early December and was sighted in the Strait of Gibraltar on Jan2. It then surfaced along the coast of Portugal and headed north, shadowed by the Spanish and Portuguese navies. The boat then sailed through the English Channel and the North Sea at a speed of eight to ten knots. Units of the British and Dutch navies had pursued the convoy. On Jan 13, the "Novorossiysk" turned into the Baltic Sea near Skagen and passed the Great Belt and Fehmarn Belt on Jan 14. The "Novorossiysk" is the second Russian submarine that NATO units shadowed in Danish waters and the Fehmarn Belt in January. On Jan 9, the submarine "Mozhaisk" returned to the Baltic Sea after a detour to the Kattegat. The return of material from Syria will continue in the coming months. The landing ship "Aleksandr Shabalin" is also in use. Together with two cargo ships, the Russian army's extensive military goods are to be evacuated from the port of Tartus. Until the fall of the Assad regime, Tartus was the only Russian naval base in the Mediterranean. As a replacement, Russia is now trying to get a port on the North African coast in Libya or Algeria. As an alternative, the Russian Navy has been given an anchorage not far from the Algerian port of Oran, where the naval tanker “Yelyna” has been cruising for weeks. The evacuation of Russian units from the Mediterranean is interpreted by military experts as a sign of Russia's weakness, as it is losing its important naval capabilities in the region. Now the Russian units still operating in the Mediterranean must be supplied from the Baltic Sea.

Navy ship sent to Norway to protect submarine infrastructure against sabotage

Due to multiple incidents of sabotage with sea cables and the Russian threat, the Netherlands have sent the Zr.Ms. 'Tromp' from Den Helder to Norway on Jan 4, 2025. It berthed in Haakonsvern on Jan 6. The goal is to monitor safety and keep an eye on suspicious ships to prevent them from doing something. First of all, the ship is used to record suspicious activities at sea as there have been many sabotage actions recently against submarine infrastructure, with the suspicion that Russia is behind it to make life in the Western countries more difficult and to put them under pressure. In order to prove that, it is important that the navy ship is there in time, f.e. when a ship drops anchor and drags it along the seabed, destroying cables or pipes.

Fregate involved in sinking of USS Tawara

The Zr.Ms. 'Tromp' was involved in sinking the amphibious assault ship USS 'Tawara' on July 19, 2024, near Hawaii with a missile attack. during the world's largest naval exercise Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac). The launch of the Harpoon rocket was the highlight of the training for the crew. It was a learning experience to apply all the procedures and use the ship's systems for their intended purpose. Medium-range Harpoon anti-ship missiles are fired from 8 angled launch tubes on the midship. It was the first time that a Dutch naval vessel was participating in Rimpac. The 'Tarawa' was one of the largest vessels that U.S. and partner forces have sunk in nearly two decades, a 3rd Fleet news release says. The last time a ship of its class was sunk as part of a military exercise was in 2006, when the former amphibious assault ship 'Belleau Wood' was sent to the bottom during that year’s RIMPAC. One of the munitions used to sink the 'Tarawa' was the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), which was fired from a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet. Sinking the 'Tarawa' also allowed the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS 'Sydney' to test the Naval Strike Missile, which the Australians are buying to replace its Harpoon missiles. The 'Tarawa' was commissioned in 1976 and went on to take part in Operations Desert Shield and Iraq Freedom while also participating in cyclone relief efforts in Bangladesh. The ship was decommissioned in 2009. Ships and aircraft participating in the live-fire exercise also sank the decommissioned amphibious transport dock USS 'Dubuque' on July 11 as part of this year’s RIMPAC. Both ships were sunk in waters 15,000 feet deep more than 50 nautical miles off Kauai. So far this summer, the U.S. military has also sunk the former amphibious transport dock USS 'Cleveland' as part of Valiant Shield 2024, and a Marine AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter sank a towed target using an AGM-179 Air-to-Ground Missile, or JAGM. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/ships-us/ships-usn-t/uss-tarawa-lha-1.html https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/d/dubuque--lpd-8--ii-1967-2011.html