One of the smallest navies in the world took command of Royal Navy fast attack craft as British and Estonian forces conducted joint operations in the Baltic Sea.
Four P2000 boats — HMS Pursuer HMS Express, HMS Puncher and HMS Dasher — have been sailing in the Gulf of Finland and Tallinn Bay recently as part of a wider two-month Baltic Sea deployment.
As per a recent Royal Navy press statement, minehunter EML Ugandi (herself the former British vessel HMS Bridport) took command and provided support to the four P2000 craft.
The aim of the joint training drills was to test the navies’ abilities to work seamlessly together while conducting basic combined manoeuvres.
The joint operations were part of the Joint Expeditionary Force’s larger ongoing Exercise Tarassis, a multidomain initiative which represents the JEF’s most extensive training activity to date.
Thousands of sailors, aircrew and troops have been involved across a theatre of operations which takes in parts of the north Atlantic, Scandinavia and the Baltic. Exercise Tarassis began at the start of September and is due to conclude in mid-October.
JEF spokesman, Group Captain Jonathan Eastlake of the Royal Air Force, commented: “Tarassis represents a significant step forward in our collective ability to respond rapidly and decisively to emerging threats. These exercises are not only about military preparedness — they are about unity, deterrence, and demonstrating our shared commitment to regional stability.”
After the drills with their Estonian counterparts had concluded HMS Express Commanding Officer Lieutenant Edward Winter commented: “It was great to operate alongside the EML Ugandi and meet the ship’s company today. In so doing, we demonstrated the U.K.’s resolve to support our NATO allies.”
And Major Steven Maguire, the U.K.’s deputy defence attaché in Tallinn, said the joint naval exercise underlined its enduring support for Estonia.
“Just over 100 years ago the Royal Navy stood shoulder to shoulder with Estonia in its war of independence and that support has never wavered,” he stressed.
- You can read more details on the Royal Navy website and the JEF website