A ten-strong multinational fleet of NATO warships will visit the port on April 2, making it the largest fleet to call at Falmouth for many years.

The visit comes at a time when tension between Russia and Europe marks a return to the days of the Cold War.

Russian President Vladamir Putin put the Russian Northern Fleet of warships on full combat readiness a week ago as thousands of troops, ships, submarines and planes took part in massive military exercises. The Kremlin was flexing its muscles in response to NATO members such as Norway, who were also holding military exercises.

The ships due here, ORP Mewa (Poland),  TCG Anamur (Turkey),  HMS Pembroke (UK), HNOMS Rauma (Finland), Bad Bevensen (Germany), HNLMS Willemstad and BNS Lobelia (Belgium), FGS Donau (Germany), ITS Euro (Italy), and FGS Auerbach (Germany), are part of Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Groups 1 and 2 (SNMCMG1 and SNMCMG2).

The German tender Donau is Group flagship for SNMCMG1 which comprises of Mewa, Pembroke, Lobelia, Auerbach and Willemstad.

The Italian frigate Euro is flagship of Group 2 leading Bad Bevensen, Anamur and Rauma. The ships will berth on Queen’s wharf for the duration of their visit which may be up to five days.

SNMCMG1 normally operates in European waters with Group 2 staying in the Mediterranean.

The ships have just completed the historic ordnance (HOD) operation Beneficial Cooperation off the Dutch and Belgian coasts. The two groups took part in a series of activities aimed at clearing the seabed of mines, bombs and torpedoes from previous wars.

Unexploded ordnance can jeopardize the safety of civilian and military maritime operations alike. The SNMCMGs focused on searching, identifying and subsequently neutralizing the ordnance.

HOD operations also represent an opportunity to test Autonomous Underwater Vehicles’ (AUV) effectiveness in challenging conditions characterized by strong tidal currents and poor underwater visibility. On board ITS Euro, a team of specialized divers worked with a “REMUS 100” AUV for searching and classifying HOD.

“We are fortunate to have the opportunity to simultaneously deploy both our mine counter-measures groups in support of such important work,” said Vice Admiral Bruno Paulmier, deputy commander NATO Allied Maritime Command.

“These HOD operations not only sharpen the skills of our allied mine counter-measures forces, but also make the coastal waters of our allies safer for all maritime traffic.”