The following article is taken from the latest issue of the Globe & Laurel magazine.
Click the button below to discover more.

by Mne D Rees, MIOPs Tp, 539 Raiding Sqn RM

MIOPs Troop, 539 Raiding Squadron conducted a tactical development period on RFA Mounts Bay for a week in September alongside K Coy, 42 Cdo RM in preparation for an upcoming deployment. The training started with static high vertical access (HVA) training on RFA Argus while alongside in Plymouth dockyard. This training was also important to give the less experienced coxswains an opportunity to progress their craft handling in benign conditions.

Preparing to board a vessel in Plymouth Sound

The following day, we began training by conducting numerous low vertical access (LVA) boardings onto the Smit Yare vessel, a multi-purpose work ship, within Plymouth Sound. We practised a mixture of small boat interdiction drills with the speed of the vessel and level of resistance from the crew gradually increasing throughout the day. This was useful for our less experienced coxswains to gain experience with the boarding teams whilst refining Standard Operating Procedures. That evening we then moved onto vectoring drills with a Merlin from 845 Naval Air Squadron with a Maritime Sniper Team embarked. Our target vessel was sent to a series of different locations within an Ops Box and the ‘helo’ was tasked with searching and finding it, before vectoring the boat group onto the target vessel’s location. We conducted this training at night with the use of NVGs, the target vessel was nearly impossible see from the PACs at night so being guided onto its position highlighted to us the necessity of this training and the importance of having a Merlin in the sky.

The next day we increased the complexity of training with utilising the training vessel Smit Yare tasked to operate further out into the Sound to allow for more challenging sea states. These small boat interdictions were made even more difficult by the target vessel acting evasively and establishing defences which included blocking entry points with fenders and spraying hoses off the side of the ship. This pushed us to deal with situations we wouldn’t routinely experience which helped us refine our high-speed craft handling skills and rapid decision-making. The boarding teams were also met with novel challenges which included the searching of unfamiliar craft coupled with assaulting different entry points on the target vessel.

We embarked on RFA Mounts Bay during the early hours Monday morning to begin the planning for a combined amphibious and air assault onto RFA Argus which was sailing within the area. With orders delivered, we prepared the craft on the flight deck whilst the MIOPs boarding team completed final battle prep to their kit. The two craft were craned off the ship and we began the high-speed transit to where we knew the target vessel was operating. The MIOPs team assaulted RFA Argus via ladders onto the starboard side of the ship and simultaneously another team was fast-roped onto the flight deck via ‘helo’. This was exciting and exactly the type of training that we had been working towards. The Boarding Team then moved systematically through the ship, clearing and securing the illicit cargo. Once the ship was clear, the team reembarked and we made the transit back to RFA Mounts Bay.

Realistic and exciting training is exactly what we look forward to. There’s a uniqueness about approaching an unfamiliar target vessel at night, when you’re approaching at speed in a rolling sea you just don’t know what to expect. Being able to train so that we are ready to

deal with any eventuality is invaluable and ensures that we are ready to react effectively when deployed globally on operations.

Read more from the Journal of the Royal Marines

For more information, and to read similar stories, visit: Globe & Laurel – RMA – The Royal Marines Charity (rma-trmc.org)