TALLINN, Jul 24, BNS – The Estonian minehunter Admiral Cowan, a ship in the NATO Response Force (NRF) will Friday leave for Devonport, England, where it will join other vessels belonging to NRF.
The Admiral Cowan is taking part in NRF-11, which is in readiness from July 1 to January 5 next year, belonging during the readiness period to the NATO mine hunting squadron SNMCMG1.
When necessary the squadron will take part in mine-hunting operations.
From July 25 to November 15 the Admiral Cowan will belong to the minehunting unit of northern regions. On July 25 it will leave for Devonport where it will join other ships of the group. The group will head to the Mediterranean region where it will continue training.
During that period the Admiral Cowan will take part in several international exercises and visit Mediterranean ports.
As the response force can be activated even at the end of the readiness period the parliament’s mandate for participation in NRF will be effect until next June 30.
Participation of the mine hunter in NRF-11 will cost more than 16 million kroons (about EUR 1 mln) reserved in budget of the Defense Ministry administration sphere.
Earlier Estonia has taken part in the NATO response force with the staff and support ship Admiral Pitka, the mine hunter Sulev, a mine clearance group and a military police unit. In 2010 Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will take part in NRF-14 with a joint infantry battalion.
The Admiral Cowan is the first of three Sandown Class minehunters bought for the Estonian Navy from Great Britain. Preparations to the delivery of the ship, taken into service in Great Britain in 1989, began in fall 2006 and last April the Estonian flag was raised on the ship. The other minehunter, Sakala, was delivered to Estonia this January while a third ship, the Ugandi, will be delivered at the beginning of next year.
Tallinn newsroom, +372 610 8814, [email protected]