[Sweden]: Operation Vaesite

[Connor]

OPERATION VAESITE SWEDISH ARMED FORCES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

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OFFICIAL OPERATION ORDER
OCTOBER 2000
SECURE​

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Situation Report
The southern hemisphere is home to a number of territories held by Sweden which over the past several years have been heavily contested by a number of different interested parties. Antarctica, South Africa and associated islands have longed for sustained administration however with Stockholm on the other side of the world, the need for continued operation in surrounding territorial waters leading into seas and oceans further afar in paramount to the continued success of the kingdom. In little over a month the anniversary for HSwMS Sno, a key vessel to Operation Molybdenum in Antarctica, was sunk by hostile Argentine forces seeing to the loss of one hundred and twenty service personnel; this operation will incorporate such anniversary whilst reinforcing the continued commitment to national security and defence in southern hemispheric territories. Mission objectives will be key to establishing as to whether funding for the Swedish Coast Guard should be increased with the view to extend civilian safety operations into this region.

Belligerents

Kingdom of Sweden

v.

Objective(s)
OV/1/PP/00 - ACTIVE - Primary maintenance tasks, pre-deployment ammunition provision and supply of essential services/assets.
OV/1/PR/00 - ACTIVE - Patrol route strategy with the relocation of assets through to Heard Island and Marion Island Naval Bases.
OV/2/PR/00 - PENDING - Patrol route strategy with the relocation of assets encompassing surrounding Indian and Southern Ocean in conjunction with OV/1/PR/00.
OV/3/PR/00 - ACTIVE - Patrol route strategy with the relocation of assets to reaffirm Casey Station TPOL.
OV/1/MS/00 - COMPLETE - Positioning of designated memorial vessel with ceremonial crew to HSwMS Sno shipwreck location for anniversary service.

Casualty Report
Nothing to report

Campaign Register
Not applicable

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Live Deployment

8th Naval Warfare Flotilla [Marion Island Naval Base] Valour-class Frigate 252-2-2​ HSwMS Vereeniging (F43)​ [252x] Active Personnel​ [2x] RHIB​ [2x] NHIndustries NH90 NFH​ Visby-class Corvette 43-0-1​ HSwMS Cullinan (C24)​ [43x] Active Personnel​ X X

1st Antarctic Defence Flotilla [Heard Island Naval Base] Svalbard-class Patrol Vessel 50-2-2​ HSwMS Mashai (OP02)​ [50x] Active Personnel​ [2x] RHIB​ [2x] NHIndustries NH90 NFH​ Sa'ar 4-class Missile Boat 45-0-0​ HSwMS Zulu (MB01)​ [45x] Active Personnel​ HSwMS Xhosa (MB02)​ [45x] Active Personnel​

7th Naval Warfare Flotilla [Simon's Town Naval Base] Valour-class Frigate 252-2-2​ HSwMS Tembisa (F41)​ [252x] Active Personnel​ [2x] RHIB​ [2x] NHIndustries NH90 NFH​ X X X X X X

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Dispensed Deployment

7th Naval Warfare Flotilla [Simon's Town Naval Base] HSwMS East London (F42)​ [120x] Active Personnel​

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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]

SECURE
Memorial Day

With the sun slowly raising across Simon's Town Naval Base from which light begin to bounce across the rippling waves upon the coastline, the base would slowly begin to come to live with the night time security operation slowly transitioning into business as usual. Civilian staff adopting various roles within the military would start to arrive and make their way to their usual officers, security services would see themselves being relieved for a much more replenished albeit visibly tired early-turn shift, vehicles flooding from various car parks and warehouses as they start their day and military personnel dripping from their quarters to start performing their daily tasks. Despite the relatively normal wake up for the base, there was a strange mood across the Swedish Royal Navy - the branch had untaken some of the most drastic changes in it's fundamental formation since the end of World War II and the adoption of South Africa saw to a huge uplift in personnel, equipment and operational capacity - all of which coincided with the memorial for HSwMS Sno which was lost during Operation Molybdenum, a security operation to protect Swedish interests in Antarctica. Despite support from friends, allies and partners many of the dead remain lost on the seabed where the vicious conditions and deep waters make recovery an almost impossible task even for the most advanced divers in the world. As a result of this, and the wreck remaining in situ, the Swedish Royal Navy intend to mark the anniversary with a memorial.

HSwMS East London, usually managed by over two hundred and fifty personnel, will adopt a passive transit to the wreck site with only one hundred and twenty personnel aboard. Identical to that of HSwMS Sno. Once in position the entirety of the crew will mark their respect for their lost heroes. Not only is this service a huge mark of respect but also incorporates the recently adopted South Africa into the transit towards Antarctic waters for the memorial of a lost Swedish ship - truly uniting the kingdom in a strong display of solidarity.

With that said, a huge logistical operation would be undertaken as HSwMS East London begins being prepped for the journey. Given the drastically minimised crew aboard, only essential roles would be filled onboard thus all food aboard would be self-catering capable meal plans which maximised nutrition for the journey, keeping energy levels high but also removed the requirement for kitchen staff. Furthermore the vessel would not be carrying any heavy weaponry, with ammunition only for small arms and machine guns being stocked. Fuel would fill the tanks to the brim. All other essential items filling store rooms within the confines of the vessel. The ship's company would be given an extensive briefing by the Captain who was under an unbelievable amount of pressure to ensure that this anniversary went without a hitch - it was at the very forefront of Operation Vaesite as well as the memorial being the first of its kind in recent history.

Once ready, HSwMS East London would leave Simon's Town Naval Base via transit route JF > IE > HD > GD.

 

[Connor]

SECURE
Memorial Service

In only a few hours the HSwMS East London, a brand new Valour-class Frigate donning her pennant number F42 in a bold white text against the dull grey of which the ship were painted. The Valour-class boasts some of the most modern technological advancements available in the global naval service and has been adopted, following the recent modernisation of the Swedish Royal Navy, as the primary frigate across all territories. It's modern features also made the journey to HSwMS Sno a walk in the park - the minimised crew in any older class of frigate would thrown up substantial shortfalls in the daily business as usual running of the ship however given various automated mechanisms and reduced human-operated systems the one hundred and twenty man crew were able to navigate successfully through the ocean.

It was without a doubt that the day brought a heavy heart to many of the crew - some of which may have known of or been related to those that lost their lives only a few years prior and now lay to rest at the bottom of a blisteringly cold ocean amongst the wreckage of the ship. The support of the British Royal Navy saw to the recovery of ninety seven personnel, all of which immediately confirmed as deceased - twenty three remained unaccounted for, whether they had been swept away by the tides of the ocean, inaccessible by the diving team, been in a condition inconsistent with that of a human body or simply mangled in the wreckage that lay across the ocean floor were unconfirmed. The wreckage itself was assessed as not being of any risk to the environment and with years having passed since it had become quite the safe haven for marine life; coral reefs and kelp had soon absorbed much of the exterior and became a safe haven for sea creatures which were now teeming through the wreck.

Once in position over the site, the vessel would be moved to idle and anchored in place to allow the entirety of the one hundred and twenty strong crew to line the rails and edges of the ships various decks. The horn of the vessel would sounds in a single, loud blast and a radio broadcast mimicking that of one made on the day by the now deceased crew of the sunken vessel:

"Warship Sno, warship Sno, this is warship East London, you are crossing Swedish controlled territorial waters. Acknowledge."​

With no response a second, identical broadcast is made following by a tribute.

"Warship Sno, warship Sno, this is warship East London, you are crossing Swedish controlled territorial waters. Acknowledge."

"Attention vessels on this channel, clear the air for priority traffic. Warship Sno, warship Sno...- This is the final call for the ship's company of warship Sno whose end of watch was November 1996. We thank you for your unconditional service to the crown and the people. Your memory will live on in our hearts."​

The ships horn would blast again, echoing for miles around as the crew took this as their cue to stand to attention and bring their hand to a salute. The radio calls bringing many to tears but yet they remained strong in their stance and position, marking the memory of the service men and women that were taken from their families at the hands of a vicious attack.

 

[Connor]

SECURE
Phase One

With the memorial service coming to a close, HSwMS East London, with her minimised crew, would make her way back to Simon's Town Naval Base. The mood across the service remained at a strange and unsponsored level.

Nonetheless the Department of Defence were keen for Operation Vaesite to kick into full effect by authorising the deployment of 'phase one', a strategic initial deployment of assets from Heard Island Naval Base to see steady deployment of capable assets towards the Casey Station TPOL - this is the only established facility on the Antarctic continent and one the department is key to scope for further investment into the strategic capabilities of Antarctica. Fundamentally however, it also gives opportunity to ensure the facility is still operating as expected and capable of serving its use as an emergency TPOL site. HSwMS Mashai will head this operation, shadowed only by HSwMS Zulu and HSwMS Xhosa which will remain at Heard Island to provide a physical presence within the established economic exclusive zone surrounding Swedish overseas territory in and around Heard and McDonald Islands.

Naturally, prior to deployment these three vessels would receive the necessary refuelling and replenishment in port where they would also see their weapons systems adorned with the appropriate missiles and ammunition required for sustained presence and reserve. This was standard and did not dictate that this operation become one of hostility; it was to remain purely as a patrol. Once appropriately stocked the vessels would receive their crew of fifty for the Svalbard-class and forty five for the Sa'ar 4-class; each crew having gone through a short briefing beforehand to understand their role and expectations of the department throughout deployment. This was also the first deployment of the newly structured 1st Antarctic Defence Flotilla. Fancy.

HSwMS Mashai, having negotiated its way from port, would begin its journey direct to the Casey Station TPOL via route MD > NC.

HSwMS Zulu and HSwMS Xhosa were unlikely to breach the MD transit zone and would continue a patrol, in opposite directions, around the economic exclusive zone straying no further than 400km from shore.

All vessels would remain in constant communication with one another and port via encrypted radio channels.

 

[Connor]

TOP SECRET
Termination
April 2002

Order issued by the Department of Defence would see the immediate termination of Operation Vaesite. Following a dynamic assessment within the department and associated agencies, it has been determined that the active threat towards Swedish interests in the southern hemisphere are significantly diminished when compared to the establishment of this operation. All and any remaining materiel would be ordered back to home port or alternate operation deployment in accordance with any subsidiary orders. Following a review the operation will remain at 'TOP SECRET' classification in accordance with the Swedish Document Classification and Security Act 1995.