[Argentina] Exercise Albatros

[Naio90]

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EXERCISE ALBATROS​ Public Information ​

Operation Background

As part of the national efforts to safeguard argentine interests in the South Atlantic, in a first stage with local efforts and in a subsequent one with international support, the Argentine Navy will conduct interception and boarding training drills on commercial vessels in the South Atlantic. Argentine ships will be boarded, with previous notification and guaranteeing all safety meassures, potentially foreign ships transiting in the area will be "intercepted" at a safe distance and radio contacted. Additionaly SAR drills will be conducted. ​

Deployed Forces
Station in Puerto Belgrano Naval Base Gorshkov-Class Frigate ARA Rio Grande del Sur (F279) 210x Navy Personnel x1 Ka-27 Type 908 Replenishment Ship ARA Tyndall (A955) x125 Navy Personnel x1 Harbin Z-8 Station in Punta Indio Naval Station 2nd Naval Air Maritime Patrol Squadron 1x Kawasaki P-1

Logistical Details

Both ships and its flight components and the Maritime Patrol Aircraft would be fully crewed, supplied and loaded. Captain Diego Schwartzman would, in command of the ARA Rio Grande del Sur, would be the officer in command of the Task Group. ARA Tyndall would be providing logistical support to the frigate, and the Kawasaki MPA would be serving as advanced recon unit, constantly in contact with the ships and the mainland through encrypted channels. They would be departing from their bases and transit and patrol along the following areas: GF>HG>IG>IH

 

[Naio90]

The ARA Rio Grande del Sur would depart from its homeport in the south of the Province of Buenos Aires early in the morning. The cold winter wind from the Patagonia accompanied them many nautical miles into the vast expanses of the Atlantic Ocean. Few seamen wanted to stay in the chilly consides outside and no one was seen until the first few weak rays of sun hit on the modern frigate of the argentine navy.

Their mission was to sail directly into the area considered to be the most transited in terms of commercial vessels, and Captain Schwartzman wanted to exploit this opportunity as much as possible, in order to gain more practical experience and in the near future, land a higher position within the powerful argentine navy.

Few hours later, the ARA Tyndall departed fully loaded and crewed, and ready to give logistical support to the frigate. Its mission was to accompany from afar and to follow oders from Captain Schwartzman.

The initial navigation was to last for around 2 days.

 

[Jamie]

⌈ NATIONAL ECONOMICS ⌋ Billed

THREAD HAS BEEN CHARGED​

 

[Naio90]

Once arrived in the area of the main phase of the exercise, the frigate would begin following a patrol route of several hundred kilometers, using its radars and systems to scan the area and pinpoint all commercial and military traffic in the area.

The replenishment ship would also arrive to the designated area and follow the main ship somekilometers back, mantaining its speed and direction.

In the meantime, back in Punta Indio, the Kawasaki MPA would take off, fully fueled and crewed and with its systems on, and head directly at cruising altitude to sector HH. After some hours of flying it would begin scanning the surroundings in order to detect the first possible target for the inspection. All information would be relayed to the ARA Rio Grande del Sur, extending its "view" by many kilometers.

After some few hours, flying at cruising speed to save fuel, the maritime patrol aircraft would detect the argentine merchant navy ship MV Alba, en route from Nigeria to the port of Buenos Aires.

 

[Naio90]

Pelican One (the codename of the Kawasaki MPA of the argentine navy) would rely the movement patterns of the MV Alba directly to the ARA Rio Grande del Sur, which would begin executing an maritime intercepcion meneuver.

It would correct its course in order to follow a direct line of interception around 76nm in from of the current location of the commercial vessel. Full speed ahead, and faster that the Alba, it would quickly catch up to it and enter into marine VHF radio range.

"MV Alba, this is Argentine Navy Ship Rio Grande del Sur. We are currently monitoring maritime commercial traffic on international waters. We will intercept your course in 18nm on the coordinates we are now transmiting, please be prepared to receive an inspection party."

The inspection and boarding crew onboard the ARA Rio Grande del Sur would get ready and prepare the onboard RHIB to cross the few hundred meters that would separate both ships when they came to a halt. A crew of 6 marines plus a mission specialists and the navigator would board the boat, assuming sea and weather conditions would allow a safe crossing.

The Kawasaki would return in the meantime to its base to resupply.

The MV Alba would acknowledge the message of the argentine navy and comply, lowering its speed until it came to compelte halt on the indicated coordinates. It would lower a ladder for the marines to board.

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[Naio90]

The boarding crew secure the boat with help form the MV Alba, which would lower a rope ladder to allow the 4 of the marines and the mission specialist to board the argentine commercial vessel.

Once on the main deck, the Captain would greet the operation team one by one and the leave them with the first officer in order to conduct the routine inspection and monitoring procedure.

A series of information and data about the ship, its route and the cargo would be conducted and afterwards a small visit would be made to verify the cargo in the hold of the ship.

The marines, fully geared and armed, would accompany them and move according to the practiced procedures.

In the meantime, back on the frigate, the crew would await for the return of the borading party, mantaining a safe distance from the other ship and sustaining the same speed.

 

[Naio90]

The team of marines would effectively conduct the inspection following the standard procedures. After about 2 hours, with all paperwork completed and the cargo inspected, the officer in charge would thank the argentine captain of the vessel for allowing the routine inspection to happen. Few minutes later, the marines would get back to the main deck and together with the official they would descend back to the RHIB which would be waiting for them to take them back to the argentine navy frigate.

In the meantime, plans would be made to conduct one more inspection, this time to a foreign vessel transiting the area of operation.

The argentina supply ship that had sailed together with the frigate would have performed a resupply in order to allow operations to continue normally.

 

[Naio90]

Not detecting any commercial maritime traffic in the immediate vecinity, the argentina naval command in charge of this particular exercise would decide to return all assets back to their respective bases in order to debrief and to analize the operations.

Overall a positive balance would be concluded, considering the experience gained by the marine team and the crews of the involved vessels in routine maritime control operations. New exercises and operations such as this one will be conducted in the near future.

All vessels would return to their respective bases following the same route they used on the way in. They would sail and navigate with all their systems and radars operationl and their crews at their stations.

Mission complete.