[Sweden]: Operation Molybdenum

[Connor]

OPERATION MOLYBDENUM SWEDISH ARMED FORCES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

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OFFICIAL OPERATION ORDER
APRIL 1996
TOP SECRET​

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Situation Report
Operation Molybdenum will reinforce Swedish interests within the continent of Antarctica, the Earth's southernmost continent and the home of the geographic South Pole. Since the beginning of April 1996 he region has been of rising interests globally as the Realm of New Zealand express their intention to retain a former claim in the territory, the Ross Dependency, which directly contravenes the Swedish Antarctic Territory borders; only permitting the existence of allied Norwegian Queen Maud Land. The tension between New Zealand and Sweden has been matched by close European neighbours France whom have since also expressed an intention to reinforce Adélie Land. Both the French and New Zealand announcements cause imminent and unpresidented risk to Swedish sovereign territory. Over three billions dollars of investment has allowed the creation of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat and appropriate equipping of the Swedish Royal Navy to defend the continent temporarily whilst logistical obstacles are overcome in order to better equip forces from both the Army and Air Force stationed in Antarctica. At this stage information has not been shared with the Nordic Council.

Belligerents

Kingdom of Sweden

v.

Commonwealth of Australia Haut Royaume de France

Intelligence
I/AU-01 - Operation Resolute
I/FR-01 - French Expeditionary Fleet

Objective(s)

1. Immediate deployment of Swedish Royal Navy from mainland Sweden bound for Antarctica.​

2. Redirection of intelligence equipment in the English Channel for covert monitoring of French traffic.​

3. Reporting to Las Palmas Naval Base, Canary Islands for refuelling with permission from the Kingdom of Spain.​

4. Positioning towards southern Atlantic Ocean for final refuelling by replenishment vessels.​

5. Security and patrol of Antarctic waters and territory.​

6. Landing on the continent of Antarctica seeking the planting of Swedish flag.​

7. Establishment of Swedish presence and security in the region.​

Casualty Report
Fänrik Anders Lundin - WIA - Wounded following man overboard alarm activation in Spanish waters.
HSwMS Snö company - KIA - Struck by Argentine vessel ARA Almirante Storni (A624) in Antarctic waters.
Diplomatic Staff in Argentina - POW - Arrested and detailed by Argentine Federal Police in Argentina.

Campaign Register
OM-1A - COMPLETE - Deployment of equipment from respective home port/base.
OM-2A - COMPLETE - Tactical arrival of intelligence equipment in the English Channel.
OM-2B - COMPLETE - Covert gathering of intelligence and monitoring of French airspace and waters.
OM-2C - COMPLETE - Distancing of intelligence equipment from main flotillas, allowing onward travel.
OM-3A - COMPLETE - Progression of main flotillas to Las Palmas Naval Base, Canary Islands for refuelling.
OM-3B - COMPLETE - Tactical positioning of flotilla to ensure safe refuelling of vessels.
OM-3C - COMPLETE - Refuelling prior to engagement of Objective 4.
OM-4A - COMPLETE - Repositioning towards the Antarctic Peninsula for final refuel.
OM-4B - COMPLETE - Engage with Spanish support vessels for proactive and efficient refuelling.
OM-5A - COMPLETE - Positioning of icebreakers before fleet exploration of Antarctic waters.
OM-5B - COMPLETE - Patrol of Antarctic waters during engagement of Objective 6.
OM-6A - COMPLETE - Landing of Swedish Armed Forces on the continent of Antarctica.
OM-6B - COMPLETE - Planting of the flags of the Kingdom of Sweden and Antarctica.
OM-7A - COMPLETE - Strategic division and placement of materiel around Antarctica.

Deployment

3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla 2nd Frigate Division​ Oslo-Class Frigate​ HSwMS Snö​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Häftig Snöstorm​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Glaciär​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Frysa​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Kristall​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Svart Is​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Antarktis​ [120x] Active Personnel​ 1st Submarine Squadron​ Ula-Class Submarine​ HSwMS Väg​ HSwMS Gata​ 3rd Frigate Division​ Oslo-Class Frigate​ HSwMS Sydpolen​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Mörker​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Ark​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Polär​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Vit​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Kall​ [120x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Isolerat​ [120x] Active Personnel​ 2nd Submarine Squadron​ Ula-Class Submarine​ HSwMS Aveny​ [21x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Passera​ [21x] Active Personnel​

3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla [Muskö Naval Base] 1st Naval Intelligence Squadron​ Orion-Class Ocean Surveillance Ship​ HSwMS Orion​ [28x] Active Personnel​ 43rd Supply Division​ Etna-Class Replenishment Oiler and Logistic Support Ship​ HSwMS Vind​ [160x] Active Personnel​ Naval Air Wing [Ronnebay Naval Air Base] Helicopter Combat Squadron 1​ [2x] Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk​ [8x] Active Personnel​ Antarctic Support Squadron 1​ [6x] Lockheed LC-130​ [30x] Active Personnel​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​

​ Swedish Polar Research Secretariat Atle-Class Icebreaker​ SPRV Atle​ [21x] Active Personnel​ SPRV Frej​ [21x] Active Personnel​ Tor-Viking-Class AHTS Icebreaker​ SPRV Tor Viking​ [23x] Active Personnel​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​ X​

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Copyright © Swedish Armed Forces, Kingdom of Sweden
All information is subject to the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995​

 

[Connor]

HSwMS Snö​

TOP SECRET
Preparation
It was barely dawn in Sweden as the orange and yellow glow of the sun slowly opened up the blue sky above the country, the tip of the sun on the horizon shooting a bright white light across buildings and waters surrounding the country. The darkness was slowly drowned out with the morning light, displaying the peninsulas and islands surrounding Sweden's pixelated coastline in a picturesque manner. As the sun erupts from the horizon the dashing reds and oranges explode across the landscape exposing the hills and vast mountains, many of which peaked with glistening white snow. The sun quite happily reflected off the calm waters and the nighttime temperatures slowly started to rise into a beautifully warm morning the Swedish Royal Navy, in conjunction with the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, awoke to one of the most historic days in Swedish history - this was due to be the day of the largest naval deployment for a long term, certainly the largest under the current administration.

A total of fifteen brand new Oslo-Class Frigates sat comfortably in port, the light waves of the calm waters rippling off the freshly-painted hull and dissipating into nothing. Calm was short lived before commanding officers from each ships company storm into the silent barracks filled with sleeping soldiers bellowing with orders to stand to attention at the feet of their beds, this was standard morning procedure when the crews were due on deployment, and without hesitation each and every seaman darts from their bunks and to the solid white line paralleling the barracks.

The Commodore waltzes into the room following the wake-up call and following his entry the seamen salute as a sign of respect to his rank as held.

"Ladies and gentlemen briefing is in five, get dressed, build your bunks and parade outside. Today is a historic day, for many this will be your first deployment, you've trained for this. Let's go."​

Following the brief orders he leaves again to a line of salutes however the second the door closes behind him mayhem hits the barracks as the personnel strip off and change into their uniforms and begin to remake their bunks into a tidy, presentable condition; with this they dart out into the parade square and line up appropriate in their respective ships company.

Whilst they stand the echo of reversing vehicles and various thuds and bangs rings around the base as logistical crews load the various ships taking part in this deployment. The Oslo-Class frigates are all fully armed with sufficient ammunition to operate the various anti-aircraft, anti-ship, SAM and anti-submarine systems onboard including the Bofors 40mm, Rheinmetall 20mm, 12.7mm anti-aircraft guns, Penguin SSM, Raytheon RIM-7M system, Kongsberg Terne ASW system and torpedo tubes. Ula-Class Submarines also received sufficient ammunition to equip all on-board torpedo tubes. All Swedish Royal Navy and Swedish Polar Research Secretariat submarines and ships received a full food, water and crew-comfort replenishment alongside a full refuel prior to deployment. Two Sikorsky SH-60R Seahawks also received a full refuel and replenishment of all on-board weapons systems and countermeasures in the event they need to be used in-flight; these will eventually be held on the Atle-Class Icebreaker to provide naval support to otherwise civilian vessels.

The operation order to dashed around each and every ships company explaining the operation in full and clearly marked with the 'TOP SECRET' classification. Following briefing, the crew board their ships and submarines before awaiting further instructions. This allowed the crew to move into their news homes and get settled with their bunkmates, this tour was expected to take months and as such the crew were highly likely to have to meet and adapt to a new friendship group whilst travelling.

 

[Connor]

Baltic Sea​

TOP SECRET
Deployment
The command was given. The ships began being tugged out of port and into Swedish territorial waters where they'd be free to power their engines and shuttle themselves out and away from operating tugboats.

Aboard HMwMS Snö, and probably all the other vessels involved in this mission, the engines would be cranked while crews onboard began the preparation and safety checking of weapon systems, radars, electronic equipment and navigation systems. On the bridge the Captain of the ship sits proudly in a heightened leather chair where they have ample view of the waters ahead and surrounding traffic which, in this case, was the rest of the twenty-two strong fleet. Whilst here, the Captain remains the commanding officer of the ships movement and actions; staff continue to report relevant and appropriate information allowing for equally appropriate maneuvers. The ships were travelling a south-westerly direction on bearing 240, directly towards the Skagerrak straight running between the southeast coast of Norway, the west coast of Sweden, and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark.

A 1000ft exclusion zone around each and every Swedish Royal Navy vessel is announced across all publicly-accessible VHF radio channels.

"All vessels, all vessels, this is the Swedish Royal Navy warship JULIET-ZERO-ONE, a restricted maritime area is operating around warships moving bearing TWO-FOUR-ZERO in a south-westerly direction; do not obstruct or wilfully interfere with our passage"​

Each Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk from the Helicopter Combat Squadron 1, Naval Air Wing are placed aboard the SPRV Frej and SPRV Atle throughout the deployment, securely fastened to the deck.

In 10 hours the flotilla is expected to emerge from the Baltic Sea, at this point they will have successfully reached Phase Line Alpha, indicating their position clearly to headquarters via pre-determined navigation routes and maps. From there they will continue onwards to achieve further objectives via JO > IN > IM > IL, of course, there were objectives to achieve along the way and a number of phase lines to hit.

 

[Odinson]

SECRET

​

The Master of Tender at Oksoy Lighthouse was at the top of the tower. Mechanical issues with the rotating gears that kept the light spinning meant that he and the Chief Engineer were doing some troubleshooting. Luckily, this mechanical issues began in the early morning, which minimized the amount of time that the light above the tower wasn't spinning. The Master of Tender was an old, skinny fellow with a thick white beard and piercing gray eyes. The problem with the light was now resolved. He was taking a load off and resting at the top of the tower. He looked out to Skagerrak and could see a large fleet of ships moving just at the edge of the horizon. He took out a brass spyglass from his pocket and unfolded it. He could see a mass of grey warships which he thought were Norwegian at first, but he could see the blue and gold Swedish naval standard flying from the back of each of them. "It looks like our Swedish brothers are going somewhere," he said in an old, salty accent. He noted how many of each ship was travelling through, and what their formation appeared to be. This information was reported to the R.L.H.S. Investigations, who passed the information on to the Royal Navy. Eventually, this information made it to the Minister of Defense who wondered what his lesser-colleague was up to.
@Connor

 

[Connor]

Baltic Sea​

TOP SECRET
Vive La France
From the Baltic Sea the flotilla continues along the coast of continental Europe, allowing this to guide them concisely to the French coastline, specifically the opening on the English Channel at which Phase Line Bravo sits.
The ships travel via JO > IN.

A 1000ft radius around the flotilla is maintained throughout the journey with all radar systems monitored from on-board command and control rooms throughout the journey. Up to now the ships move without obstruction and continue their voyage through Phase Line Bravo towards Charlie sitting perfectly atop of the island of Ushant. Despite the flotilla approaching as close as possible to the coastline they are very careful to ensure they are open to incoming radio communications and remaining outside French territorial waters throughout; in addition, whilst the ships are completely and appropriately armed to protect themselves and their assets, weapons systems on-board would remain in a state of readiness however no pointing to or providing any form of threat to the French.

As the HSwMS Snö, at the head of the pack, ploughs through the rippling waves she takes note of the coastline to her side and relays radio communications on an encrypted channel among the other Swedish vessels, relaying the necessity to remain outside of territorial waters, to report all and any potential threats and to continue without causing obstruction or interruption to regular commercial shipping activities. This served as a prompt to 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla, 1st Naval Intelligence Squadron, HSwMS Orion, the intelligence vessel due to be stationed in this region in order to monitor traffic to and from France, a short darting siren echos among the cabins and halls of the vessel as an officer bellows his voice among the on-board tannoy.

The deafening siren is interrupted after three short blasts with the following command:
"HANDS TO ACTION STATIONS, HANDS TO ACTION STATIONS - ASSUME YOUR QUARTERS. HANDS TO ACTION STATIONS, HANDS TO ACTION STATIONS - ASSUME YOUR QUARTERS!"​

This prompts all on-board personnel to hit their appropriate locations, manning any countermeasure equipment, weapons and surveillance equipment. Engines are powed down and the ship begins to hit it's final resting position. The rest of the flotilla however continue their movement towards the Canary Islands with the view to refuel via IN > IM > IL.

HSwMS Orion begins monitoring French airspace and any maritime response to their or the flotillas presence, expecting some form of response to over twenty vessels passing territorial waters.

@Logan

 

[Connor]

North Atlantic Sea​

TOP SECRET
Route to the Canary Islands
The route to the Canary Islands was straight forward and required simple navigation of continental European coastlines and territorial waters to achieve the most efficient direction of travel possible, this was easily achieved as the approximately 20 hour journey to began. This was precious time for the Swedish Royal Navy and it felt wasted to travel such a huge distance across the globe without any form of beneficial tasks for the duration, there are only so many times the junior ranking personnel can scrub the decks and check weapon systems after all. But... that didn't exactly go to plan as senior officers begin to take advantage of the hotter temperatures as they move closer and closer to the equator and permit non-essential personnel to sunbathe, play games, listen to music and get some rest; this of course being permitted whilst more essential personnel continue the monitoring of onboard systems for potential threats.

Suddenly...

"MAN OVERBOARD, MAN OVERBOARD, MAN OVERBOARD. PORT SIDE. MAN OVERBOARD, MAN OVERBOARD, MAN OVERBOARD. PORT SIDE."​

The HSwMS Mörker has lost someone. The ship honks its horn in distress, signalling to the rest of the flotilla the emergency they're in, alongside any vessels in the immediate vicinity. Without delay the personnel broadcast over the nearest coastguard VHF radio channel, by this stage in their journey it would undoubtedly be Spain.

"Coastguard, Coastguard, this is warship Mörker of the Swedish Royal Navy. We have a man overboard, I repeat we have a man overboard - this is not a drill."​

@Zak

 

[Zak]

​

A Civil Guard patrol boat was off the coast of Las Palmas when it received the distress signal from the HSwMS Mörker and the complement of six immediately sprung into action as their day had mostly been keeping tabs on local fishermen. It had a maximum speed of 38 knots so quickly made its way to the last reported position of the Swedish vessel from the maritime control room.

"HSwMS Mörker, this is the Spanish Civil Guard, we have deployed a helicopter and a boat to your last reported position. The helicopter will be call-sign 'ANGEL-01' - over." said one of the dispatchers to the distressed Swedish ship as she immediately relayed as much information to the air crew as possible.​

A loud alarm sounded the Civil Guard station at Las Palmas Airport and a complement of four sprung into action as they grabbed their equipment and sprinted onto the tarmac as they jumped into the fully fueled MBB/Kawasaki BK-117 which they had become familiar with using after all the years as members of the Civil Guard's Air Unit. The two pilots took off and turned course for the distressed ship as it began racing towards the last known position as the two operators in the back were ready to give aid when needed. If so they had wetsuits on to immediately jump into the ocean to protect the Swedish sailor.

@Connor

 

[Connor]

HSwMS Mörker​

TOP SECRET
Man Overboard
Alarms ring through the corridors and muster stations from the bow to the stern of the ship, immediately members of the ships company are concerned for not only a colleague but a dear friend to many. These seamen and women have trained together, lived together and deployed together and now one of their lives is at risk. Immediately the other ships of the flotilla become aware and echo a similar alarm sound to bring crews attention to the man overboard from HSwMS Mörker. This wasn't part of the plan and certainly wasn't a drill. In the bridge navigators would begin using their binoculars to identify a body or any unidentified object that is in need of immediate inspection. Naturally, being a warship, the HSwMS Mörker and many of the ships partaking in Operation Molybdenum weren't the fastest and manoeuvring, at least not in comparison with anything the coast guard or in this case the Spanish Civil Guard could offer.

To assist in the search one of the ships company dart to the port side of the vessel and begin to unscrew a flare from it's casing, this fair is pointed out to the side of the ship in the direction the seaman was seen to fall from. A simple tug allows ignition and it darts off into the distant waters, clearly visible to surrounding vessels assisting in the search.

The water temperature was at least 16 degrees celcius, cold, but enough to keep the seaman alive for a while.

A response was transmitted across the radio frequency:

"Spanish Civil Guard, Spanish Civil Guard, this is warship Mörker of the Swedish Royal Navy. Be aware of Swedish Naval aircraft lifting on our position."​

Panic was setting in among senior members of the ships company but they didn't want to let it show. A man overboard is always scary especially when you don't know how long they've been over and what caused them to go over... not to mention when the sea never seems to end of the horizon-line and you're en route to one of Sweden's most important operations in its history. SPRV Frej, a Swedish Polar Research Secretariat icebreaker which was also travelling to Anarctica would immediately begin preparing the deployment of the onboard Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk, crewed with five Swedish Royal Navy personnel trained and capable of flying the aircraft. Fortunately these helicopters were bought originally for maritime search and rescue operations however later predesignated so they're well equipped for this form of operation.

They lift without undue delay and begin to pull back away from the ship to avoid a collision before lifting to an appropriate altitude where they're able to assess the sea-water surface without the rotors distressing the fairly calm waves. The search commences.

@Zak

 

[Zak]

​

The MBB/Kawasaki BK-117 would finally arrive over the scene, relaying commentary back to the dispatch room and to the incoming Civil Guard vessel. The Spanish helicopter remained clear of the Swedish Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk and always remained in contact with the Swedish vessels and relayed commentary back to them at all times.

"HSwMS Mörker and company, this is ANGEL-01, we are overhead offering our support and remaining clear of your ships and helicopter." the Captain of the Spanish helicopter said into his microphone as he tuned into the frequency to communicate with the Swedish Navy.​

And just like that, the Civil Guard boat arrived on scene as the crew leaped into action, one of the crew trained in medicine grabbed all the medical equipment on board which included blankets and an EMS kit and took them to the back of the ship as he waited to begin his role whilst the other crew members took up positions with one of the crew suited up ready to jump in if needed. Another crew member threw a life presserver ring into the ocean next to the Swedish sailor hoping that he would catch on.

@Connor

 

[Connor]

Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk​

TOP SECRET
Thimble in the Sea
Fänrik Anders Lundin is barely staying afloat. The ripping waves are crashing into his face and flooding his mouth with salt water, the shock of his body hitting the water from the height of the ships deck is throwing a lot of his training out of the window as he instinctively flails his arms and legs. It's undoubtedly the first time, outside of a swimming pool, that Fänrik Lundin will have to experience swimming in full clothing. In this case to save his life. Sheer and utter panic was setting in, his body begins shivering from the sea temperatures which came as a surprise to his muscle. All this, combined with the fact he had nothing with him to signal where he was, he was a tiny dot bouncing in a vast, vast ocean of water.

HSwMS Mörker immediately begin a tight 360 turn to circle the point they originated when the man overboard alarm was activated, this allowing the crew lining either side of the ship to observe a much smaller area. With this, the operations manager onboard greets the tannoy with his bellowing voice which is broadcast across the entire vessel:

"ALL NON-ESSENTIAL CREW TO MUSTER STATIONS. ALL NON-ESSENTIAL CREW TO MUSTER STATIONS."​

This allows officer on-board to begin a full count of crew onboard, eliminating the possibility of a false alarm or technical fault. The other ships in the flotilla join the search however very quickly drop their speed to avoid collision with not only HSwMS Mörker but also the casualty.

@Zak

 

[Zak]

​

The control room dispatcher saw it fit to deploy another response boat and a boat quickly rushed from its patrolling point just off the coast of Las Palmas and immediately raced towards the scene of the ongoing incident. An ambulance and a rapid response vehicle would be deployed to the port entrance as it was deemed necessary to take the stricken Swedish sailor to hospital to be checked over.

Meanwhile, a sailor who was trained to enter the sea to rescue people would strip down from his uniform to his wetsuit which was always under his uniform when out on the ocean for quick and easy access and leapt into the ocean after spotting the sailor and brought the life preserver ring towards him, he knew that it was a matter of life or death because the effects of hypothermia would soon start to settle in.

@Connor

 

[Connor]

Fänrik, Anders Lundin​

TOP SECRET
Swim Forrest, Swim!
It was true, the Spanish Civil Guard were the first to identify the now severely suffering sailor. The temperature of the water and the height he has fallen to hit the almost solid surface of the water had caused his body to almost immediately go into shock making keeping his face above the water almost impossible. He'd inhaled a significant amount of water by this point and the flailing of his arms and legs in an attempt to keep oxygen filtered into his lungs had exhausted his body. His natural insticts had kicked in to such a stage that he did not even notice the boat approaching him.

HSwMS Mörker naturally immediately notice the Civil Guard boat and personnel diving into the water and begin to radio across the emergency channel.

"Spanish Civil Guard, Spanish Civil Guard, this is warship Mörker of the Swedish Royal Navy, status check please?"​

Meanwhile, a full crew count had been conducted determining that only a single crew member was missing from the HSwMS Mörker, other ships in the fleet would begin to follow a similar order to ensure all remaining member of the various ships company were accounted for. The operation has undoubtedly been delayed as a result of the man overboard.

@Zak

 

[Zak]

​

The helicopter crew was still relaying commentary back to dispatch and to the crew onboard the HSwMS Mörker as well as the Civil Guard boats which were down below. The lone diver continued to fight the waves as he swam towards the stricken Swedish sailor. The commander on one of the Spanish ships heard the Swedish message and radioed back to the Swedish Navy vessel.

"HSwMS Mörker, we are still continuing rescue attempts and will advise when we have the casualty on board."

Another sailor stripped down to his wetsuit as he prepared himself to enter the water to help his fellow colleague, desperate times called for desperate measures as soon hypothermia would soon settle in. They knew that time was of the essence and that when they got the sailor on board, he would have to be taken to hospital immediately. All efforts were on the rescue operation at sea as it had now been passed up to the Office of the Prime Minister back in mainland Spain.

 

[Connor]

HSwMS Vind​

TOP SECRET
Back to the Plan...
Enough time was 'wasted' tending to the man overboard and it certainly didn't require over twenty vessels to be loitering in international waters, burning fuel, burning precious commodities and wasting time. The order was given by the Commodore for the fleet to continue towards the Canary Islands where HSwMS Vind, following permission being granted by the Kingdom of Spain, would have the capability of refuelling herself and the remainder of the fleet. The understanding among Swedish vessels was that the Spanish intended to assist with the use of their own replenishment vessel in order to speed up the process however this was yet to be confirmed.

With this, all the vessels bar the HSwMS Mörker would begin continuing south towards the Canary Islands on the determined route. Deployed aircraft would return to their respective vessel, known as the 'guardian' within the Swedish Royal Navy.

HSwMS Mörker remains nearby the Spanish Civil Guard where they await update on the casualty.

@Zak

 

[Zak]

Las Palmas Maritime Operations Center​

A young control room operator was first to spot the Swedish Navy vessel Vink on his radar and was quick to assign a tug to bring the huge replenishment vessel into Las Palmas Naval Base which was a stone throw away from where he was based at his desk. The young control room operator was quick to make contact with the Swedish ship to get them in and out as soon as possible to continue with their mission. The operator spoke in a rather camp voice.

"Swedish Ship Vink, we have assigned a tug to bring you into port. I believe there is some miscommunication between our governments because our nearest replenishment ship is in mainland Spain, sorry about that."​

A tug was waiting to guide the Swedish vessel into port because of the very busy shipways which had cargo vessels and fishing boats travelling through them and then the ship was guided into an empty part of Las Palmas Naval Base where they received a welcoming from Rear Admiral Raul Castillero and his team of commanders.

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Back at sea, the rescue attempts were still continuing as the helicopter had departed the scene to return to base as they had now began to run low on fuel. The diver still attempted to rescue the stricken Swedish sailor as he battled against the waves to grab onto him. A second diver had now jumped into the cold waters as he attempted to help his colleague as well as the casualty who had lasted surprisingly quite long in the cold waters.

An alert had now been sent to the University Hospital of Gran Canaria as the ambulance crews which had been deployed to the port ready to treat the casualty still stood ready and had their equipment ready, the priority was to raise the casualty's temperature when they received him on land.

@Connor

 

[Connor]

HSwMS Vind​

TOP SECRET
Fill me up, Daddy!
The Captain of the HSwMS Vind is one of the most experienced in the branch, which was expected from the commanding officer of a vessel with such importance, size and magnitude. The HSwMS Vind was absolutely pivital to the success of this mission and this was no secret to all of those involved, including the Spanish. Immediately upon entering Spanish territory the navigation crew make use of radio frequencies to continue communication with the Spanish, not only to ensure the safety of all of those involved in this part of the mission whether Spanish or Swedish but also to ensure that no damage occurred to the HSwMS Vind during the delicate process.

"Las Palmas, Las Palmas, this is replenishment vessel Vind of the Swedish Royal Navy. Your message has been recieved and we will continue to be guided by your tugs. Thank you."​

Following this message the replenishment vessel would follow the instructions of tug crews surrounding the vessel to ensure safe passage into port. Of course however Spanish authorities would be permitted access to board the ship without the expressed and deliberate permission of the commanding officer, the Captain. Once in port, the Vind would fill her tanks to the very brim whilst still ensuring it could safely navigate to the flotilla in order to refuel all the ships following in close convoy. Should the replenishment vessel require numerous trips to and from the Las Palmas Naval Base she would do so, fully expecting the huge flotilla to guzzle the tanks of the HSwMS Vind in no time.

Refuelling would take hours however would be the last ditch attempt to assist in pushing the Swedish Royal Navy south towards Antarctica. A request is passed to the Spanish Royal Navy, as a sign of friendship, whether they would considering making use of their replenishment vessels to assist further south towards the bottom of Africa where the flotilla would undoubtedly require further refuelling before the final push towards McMurdo. This would remove the necessity for the HSwMS Vind to make numerous trips to and from the Canary Islands in order to continue refuelling the fleet.

@Zak

 

[Zak]

​

To further assist their Swedish friends achieve their mission. the request had been filed up the chain of command and the Spanish oiler Patiño would make preparations to leave port in Rota back in mainland Spain. Only the Swedish Navy would know of the Spanish deployment. The vessel would be complemented by 148 crew, plus 19 air crew who would be in charge of piloting and servicing the 3 × Agusta-Bell AB 212 which had been deployed as part of the contingent to help Sweden complete their mission. The vessel was fully fueled and stocked up with food and beverages as well as other vital supplies such as weapons ammunition before leaving port and filled all of their tanks to the brim to deliver fuel to the Swedish when required.

The vessel left port under a tug escort to avoid fishing vessels and began their transition to the Canary Islands to link up with the Swedish Navy, commanding officer of the SPS Patiño was Rear Admiral Ariadna Piedrabuena who had only been given command of the ship nine weeks ago. The ship would set a course for the Canary Islands on IM > IL at 18 knots, taking ten hours to arrive.

@Connor

 

[Connor]

HSwMS Vind​

TOP SECRET
Piping it in
Without delay each and every vessel of the fleet is replenished also with a full restock of food, beverages, medical supplied, maintenance necessities and luxuries such as mail and essential commodities. The HSwMS Vind would make numerous trips to and from Las Palmas in order to adequately refuel and restock the vast amount of vessels in the fleet, this was unodubtedly the largest logistical operation ever undertaken by not only the Swedish Royal Navy but the entire Swedish Armed Forces; cooperation and collaboration with the Kingdom of Spain made this possible and will not be forgotten by those involved with their unrivalled and easy assistance throughout the operation both in emergency situations and routine operation.

The fleet would not continue towards the next part of the journey, through the Atlantic Ocean destined for Antarctica namely the Antarctic Peninsula. The Spanish would be informed of the route taken, obviously with the appropriate 'TOP SECRET' classification appended to all and any communications from the Swedish Department of Defence.

Throughout the voyage navigation personnel would constantly monitor the waterways ahead for obstacles, obstructions and risk points.

HK > HJ > HI > HH > HG > HF > HR > GD >FC

@Zak

 

[Zak]

​

The Spanish sailor would now have been rescued by the Civil Guard and brought aboard one of the ships as they began administering first aid, they knew time was of the essence and the boat rushed to land where an awaiting ambulance and rapid response vehicle was waiting. The sailor would be taken to the University Hospital of Gran Canaria where he was to receive life saving treatment which was effective as Spain had one of the best healthcare systems in the world.

The Swedish Consulate in Seville in mainland Spain would be informed about the condition of the sailor and has requested that his family be told about the current situation, they are informed that he has been placed in intensive care at this current time.

@Connor

 

[Zak]

​

The Spanish oiler Patiño was finally into her maiden voyage and was now off the coastline of Las Palmas as it received new orders to link up with the Swedish Navy on their given course and they turned onto the course which was passed onto them through the means of a private channel set up between the Swedish and Spanish Navy.

HK > HJ > HI > HH > HG > HF > HR > GD > FC

Life onboard was normal, each sailor had their own role to do - in their downtime, sailors would recuperate in many of the on board lounges, would sleep or would take time to work out and socialise as this was the first deployment they would have encountered together. Sailors would work an average of fifteen hours a day with three breaks in between.

Rear Admiral Ariadna Piedrabuena communicated her position to the Swedish Navy on an encrypted channel as well as back to Spanish Navy command in Madrid.