[Norway] Operation Dark Ice

[Odinson]

KINGDOM OF NORWAY
OPERATION: DARK ICE
CLASSIFIED: SECRET & PRIVATE

_____________OPERATIONAL COMMANDER_____________

VICE ADMIRAL ERIK BLIX
NORWEGIAN ROYAL NAVY
Codename: Viking-Actual


__________________DEPLOYMENT LIST__________________​

ROYAL NAVY SHIP: "VIKING"

GUIDED-MISSILE CRUISERS [1]
[1] KMS NJORD
Guided-Missile Cruiser: Fully fueled, all armaments equipped and fully loaded along with additional ammo for cannons, food to feed compliment and passengers for 2 months, armory with 400 HK416N rifles with holographic scopes and 3000 rounds of the appropriate ammunition
Vehicles: 1 MH-60R Seahawk that is fully fueled (provided by the Swedish Royal Navy)
Compliment: 300 Royal Navy sailors (plus 30 officers), uniformed and well-rested
Passengers: 3 RAF pilots, uniformed and well-rested (1 Pilot, 1 ATO/Co-Pilot, and 1 Sensor Operator); 2 Royal Lighthouse Service Special Agents, Each: Glock P80 pistol + 2 extra magazines; 7 Royal Marine Officers, uniformed and well-rested; Each: HK416 rifle with mounted holographic scope +4 magazines, USP Tactical Pistol +3 magazines, +1 M84 "Flash Grenade", +1 Tactical knife; 6 Swedish Royal Navy Sailors, Each: Unarmed; 4 Swedish Polar Research Secretariat personnel, Each: Unarmed.
Misc: Antarctic-grade cold-weather clothes and boots would be provided by the Royal Navy, there would be enough in storage to accommodate everyone on the ship, including guests.

________________DEPLOYMENT STAGING________________
​

OSLOFJORD, KINGDOM OF NORWAY
Information: Departure at 2:30AM

____________________DESTINATION #1____________________
​

PORTO GRANDE, MINDELO, REPUBLIC OF CAPE VERDE
16°53'20.9"N 25°00'00.5"W
Information: Refueling

____________________DESTINATION #2____________________
​

CAPETOWN HARBOR, CAPETOWN, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
33°54'04.4"S 18°26'03.5"E
Information: Refueling

________________________DESTINATION #3________________________
​

BOUVET ISLAND, KINGDOM OF NORWAY
54°23'30.3"S 3°11'17.7"E
Information: Helicopter Touchdown on Island

________________________DESTINATION #4________________________
​

SOUTHERN OCEAN, SWEDISH ANTARCTIC TERRITORY, KINGDOM OF SWEDEN
-65.028107, 53.848045
Information: Being guided by Swedish icebreaker

________________________DESTINATION #5________________________
​

SOUTHERN OCEAN, SWEDISH ANTARCTIC TERRITORY, KINGDOM OF SWEDEN
-65.572238, 75.440300
Information: Being guided by Swedish icebreaker

________________________DESTINATION #6________________________ ​

ALBANY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
-35.033780, 117.892008
Information: Refueling

​

This mission begins in Oslofjord, Norway. The ship, KMS Njord is one of the most powerful vessels in the Norwegian Royal Navy. It has room to bring a helicopter along with it, which is being provided by the Swedish Royal Navy. Also, the ship is awaiting the arrival of the Swedish guests who will be riding on the ship. Once they arrive, the ship will depart Oslofjord and begin its journey south. The entire mission, as described above, will be slightly less than 11,000 kilometers which is how far the ship is able to travel on this mission. Coordination is going to be requested with the Swedish Royal Navy to have their icebreaker rendezvous at the proper time with the Njord. The duality of this mission is to have Norwegian personnel inspect the construction on Bouvet Island, and allow Swedish representatives to flyover and photograph the Antarctic coast. While this mission is mostly symbolic and a slight show of force, it is being done with the full support of the Ministry of Defense.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

OPERATION DARK ICE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE
TOP SECRET​

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DEPLOYMENT CATALOGUE

Swedish Polar Research Secretariat [Port of Stockholm] Atle-Class Icebreaker​ SPRV Atle​ [24x] Active Swedish Polar Research Personnel​

Malmen Air Force Wing [Malmen Air Base] 1st Martime Support Group​ 1st SAR Squadron​ [2x] Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk​ [25x] Active Swedish Royal Navy Personnel​

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With the highly secretive meeting within the Norwegian Embassy, Sweden a very quick deployment catalogue was drafted following authorisation by Swedish Polar Research Secretariat Director General Katarina Gårdfeldt; this mission remained at the highest level of encryption and classification in line with the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995 with only the most essential officials and personnel aware of the objectives. The equipment, namely the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk, in use within this operation has been disposed to the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat following the collapse of the Maritime Safety Initiative in early 1995 and reassigned for duties surrounding the Swedish Antarctic Territory. Alongside this aircraft is the Atle-Class Icebreaker summoned to assist the Norwegian warships through the undoubtedly dangerous waters surrounding Antarctica, at this time of year the land ice from Antarctica's central mass is at some of the highest levels annually, meaning a single strike to the somewhat fragile hull (in comparison to the icebreaker). Personnel and aircraft are split between the Norwegian and Swedish ships; six Swedish Royal Navy personnel along with four Swedish Polar Research personnel are destined for the Norwegian vessel whilst the remaining deployed amount are to sit within SPRV Atle.

The mission was clear and concise, to exercise the undying support for the Kingdom of Norway and their overseas endeavours whilst enabling domestic research to be conducted in and around the continent of Antarctica with a view to establish a base of operations in the not-too-distant future. To ensure thorough communication throughout the operation, callsigns for the aircraft are given as follows: the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk onboard the KMS Njord is given temporary callsign "VIPER" and the other is assigned "COPPERHEAD" onboard SPRV Atle.

SPRV Atle (with "COPPERHEAD" onboard) departs for Palmer Land, Antarctica with the view to refuel in Capetown Harbour, South Africa.
"VIPER" is already pre-deployed to Oslofjord, Norway.

 

[Odinson]

Classified

Once the Swedish helicopter landed in the designated location in Norway, RAF pilots refueled the helicopter and flew it onto the proper deck of the KMS Njord. The Swedish pilots were given a free train ticket back to Stockholm. The six representatives from the Swedish armed forces and polar research secretariat were welcomed aboard. Once everyone was aboard and ready to go, including the helicopter, the Njord departed at about 2:30A.M in the morning. They of course took the most direct route to their next destinations without infringing on the national waters of other countries or running aground. The ship maintained a speed of 20 knots. The first destination, as listed, was Cape Verde so that the vessel could refuel. The departure of the ship, as well as where it was going, was kept secret even from most of the crew, let alone the public. The Njord will not depart Cape Verde until it is stated in the following post. As the vessel steams along, it will be waiting actively and passively using its radar and sonar to detect any nearby ships or aircraft. The following is the total travel schedule for the entire mission up to Australia where it will be decided if more exploration is to be done (as required by MN rules):

JO>IO>IN>IM>IL>HL>HK
HK>HJ>IJ>II>IH>JH>JG>JF>JE>JD
JD>KD>KC>LC>MC>NC>ND>OE>OF
@Connor

 

[Connor]

Port of Stockholm
SPRV Atle is fully stocked and ready to leave immediately bound for the Port of Capetown, South Africa with the view to replenish and prepare for the Norwegian rendezvous approximately fifteen miles south of Island of Bouvet where it is expected to intercept KMS Njord for the icebreaking activity towards the continent of Antarctica. This mission was the first of its kind in Sweden and enabled the crew to get a taste of a military operation the other side of the globe, whilst the climate was somewhat similar to that of the Arctic, it was dangerous and it was likely to be some of the most inhospitable weather systems ever experienced by the crew. During the travel time "COPPERHEAD" would have it's rotorblades collapsed and moved into the on-board hanger where it would be protected from the elements and any potential damage.

Swedish Royal Navy personnel onboard KMS Njord would ensure "VIPER" was fastened securely to the helipad, the rotorblades also remain collapsed to minimise damage during travel however at short notice the crew retain the capability to deploy.

JO>IO>IN>IM>IL>IK>IJ>JI>JH>JG>JF>KF
Refuelling and Replenishment
KF>JE>JD

 

[Odinson]

Classified

The KMS Njord would securely coordinate with the Swedish icebreaker to make sure they rendezvoused in the same place at the right time. After stopping at Cape Verde to refuel, the KMS Njord deployed for the aforementioned port in Capetown so that she could refuel there as well. The Njord would arrive in Capetown in approximately 68 hours from the time of departure at Cape Verde. The vessel would continue to travel at 20 knots in order to maintain maximum fuel efficiency and would arrive at the Captetown port with fuel to spare. Meanwhile, the ship would continue to look out for any threats above, on, or under the sea through use of radar and sonar technologies aboard the ship.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

Port of Capetown
SPRV Atle, whilst en route to Capetown, make the most of the journey using the period to practice emergency procedures such as vessel invasion, fire fighting, aircraft deployment, man overboard alongside instrument checks, general ship maintenance and cleaning. Operation Dark Ice was the first of its kind not only for the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat and the Swedish Royal Navy but also for the globe; using the hours of trans-versing oceans, seas and waters effectively and productively utilises as much dead time as possible prior to the mission objectives. The clock began to countdown to the point where the Norwegian and Swedish deployments would rendezvous and in order to better achieve the ideal time the Swedish would remain docked in port whilst in South Africa.

Whilst in port the Swedish would receive full fuel replenishment alongside essential sustenance such as food and water, it also serves as a short opportunity for the crew to get off the vessel and spend time on the ground for a couple of hours.

 

[Odinson]

Classified

The KMS Njord refueled in Cape Town and departed for Bouvet Island using the aforementioned route as described previously. The vessel continued to go 20 knots to conserve on as much fuel as possible. Once they reached the destination point off of the coast of Bouvet Island, the KMS Njord would idle to allow the departure of the helicopter to and from Bouvet Island. It would be a number of hours before the ship arrived to the area of Bouvet Island. The Swedes were given an encrypted update and reminded that the rendezvous point was south of Bouvet Island and that they looked forward to seeing them.
@Connor

 

[Odinson]

Classified

The KMS Njord arrived off the coast of Bouvet Island. The mighty Ticonderoga-class cruiser rocked back and forth in the rough seas until it found a relatively calm place to anchor and prepare for the short on-shore mission. The construction of the Bouvet Mountain Complex had only just begun, and there was still much work to be done. The first thing to be built was the massive Crimson Lighthouse which would stand at 250 feet tall, making it the tallest lighthouse in Norway. At the top would be a crimson beacon that would be able to guide friendly ships to harbor. Right now, however, the tower was still being built and was only about 175 feet tall. It was still a site to be seen, nonetheless. Next to the lighthouse was a small underground facility for the Royal Lighthouse Service which included living accommodations and intelligence equipment. The point of visiting the island before construction was complete was to give two special agents from the Lighthouse Service an opportunity to inspect the progress on the project so far, and report back to Oslo.

The Swedish helicopter was manned by the appropriate number of Norwegian pilots, two RLS agents, and a couple Swedish guests who would have the privilege of setting down on the island. They landed in the general area of where the facility was being constructed, on the rocky soil which was one of the few portions of the massive island that was otherwise covered in an icecap. Everyone except for the pilots were dressed in cold-weather winter gear so that they wouldn't freeze to death on touchdown. The agents took their Swedish guests with them and descended into the newly-completed underground facility next to the lighthouse. It was cozy, but had everything a small team of lighthouse keepers would need. After the inspection, they may have walked outside a bit more, before returning to the helicopter and thus returning to the Njord.

Once they reached the Njord, a few pictures of the lighthouse and construction area were taken before the ship raised its anchor and then steamed south towards the rendezvous point with the Swedish icebreaker.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

Rendezvous
SPRV Atle departs Capetown bound for the rendezvous location where they would meet with the Norwegian cruiser in order to continue through the ice-clad waters closer to the Antarctic coast. The crew onboard were suitably refreshed and eager to perform the main part of the mission which fundamentally involved supporting the Swedish movement onto the continent of Antarctica thus undoubtedly making history and making an international mark on the Swedish Antarctic Territory. The ship was also well stocked and ready for the mission ahead, during the voyage to the predetermined meeting point the crew would perform mandatory tests of the on-board equipment, engines and various support systems to ensure it was ready and able to perform in front of the Norwegian vessel; after all, this was the first time the SPRV Atle had ever been used overseas.

The travel time was relatively short considering the distance from Capetown, South Africa towards Bouvet Island. In order to secure communication to and from the bridge they would establish active radio involvement in the hope the Norwegian Navy would have such facilities, it was essential that the icebreaker was able to communicate easily when navigating the thick ice surrounding Antarctica.

On channel 77 the crew begin to call:

"Research Vessel Atle, Reserach Vessel Atle calling KMS Njord on this channel?"​

 

[Odinson]

Classified

The Swedish icebreaker would be securely informed that the KMS Njord was unable to continue on with the mission because it was being ordered back to Norway on an urgent mission. The KMS Njord would effectively make a 180-degree turn and head back to South Africa to refuel before heading back to Oslofjord. The ship refueled in the same places and the same way it had before, so that it could make its way home safely. The Captain of the Njord briefly apologized to the captain of the Swedish icebreaker, but stated that it would be more clear why he was being called home in the coming weeks. After that, this operation was concluded.
@Connor