By Lt Nico Swanepoel RM
The following article is taken from the latest issue of the Globe & Laurel magazine.
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The Royal Marine Boarding Course (RMBC) is a comprehensive training programme that prepares Royal Marines to board and secure non-compliant vessels at sea. The course covers every aspect of Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIOPs) and includes, marksmanship, Close Quarter Battle (CQB), High and Low Vertical Access climbing, Air Skills, Board and Search, and Method of Entry. These modules are designed to develop the students’ physical and mental toughness, tactical skills, and ability to work as part of a boarding team.
The course kicked off with a two-week range package in Hythe on the south coast of England. This was the start of the marksmanship and Close Quarter Marksmanship (CQM) module designed to develop students’ rifle and pistol shooting with the C8 and Glock 17. The first week focused on the Glock 17 pistol and consisted of transition drills at varying distances whilst static and on the move, failure to stop drills on multiple targets and speed reloading. Evenings spent dry drilling and many rounds later, the course was more than prepared to take on the infamous qualification shoot. A 100% pass rate led us seamlessly and confidently onto the C8 CQM shoot. Ticks in the boxes all round and a couple of competition shoots marked an end to the range package and some well-enjoyed trigger time.
Feeling like hoofing marksmen, we moved onto the CQB module. This is a key element on the RMBC and of vital importance during MIOPs as it allows boarding teams to operate effectively in the blind, confined spaces and narrow corridors posed by vessels. The learning curve was steep, however a key focus on mastering the basics put us in good stead to tackle more complex movements. Individual skills were tested through a Tactical Evaluation (TacEval) assessing weapon manipulation and safety, room entry and clearance of arcs, accuracy on target as well as dead check and room marking procedures. This is one of the many hurdles to overcome in order to continue with the course. The week culminated with the opportunity to make use of a CQB compound to conduct a full-scale troop attack and proved the effectiveness and durability of the SOPs developed over the week.
Precision firing and CQB skills alone mean nothing if you can’t board a ship – it was now time to master vessel access. It began with air skills and the art of fast-roping; a technique used to rapidly deploy troops from a helicopter onto a ship. We learned how to abseil from a helicopter onto a ship, secure the access line, and deploy quickly and efficiently as a team. Moving from air to sea, we progressed onto what was arguably the most exciting part of the course – the MIOPs phase.
Bouncing through a sea state four on high-speed craft to board non-compliant vessels is exactly what you imagine when you think of a Royal Marines Commando. The week was spent on the water going through the motions of securing a vessel at sea; preparing the PAC24s for boarding, hooking our ladders onto the vessel of interest (VOI) and climbing in full fighting order as fast as possible to establish a foothold onboard.
A week at HMS Raleigh gave us an insight into board and search, intelligence collection and the multitude of ways illicit goods can be hidden on ship. This was a useful evolution as boarding teams often find themselves conducting full scale and detailed searches of the vessels they board and especially relevant given the announcement of 42 Cdo’s Iranian anti-tank weapons bust. This was followed by a day with the MLs and an introduction into the use of rig systems for casualty evacuation. Given the tight spaces and steep ascents on ship, dealing with a casualty is made all the more complicated. We were put through our paces and ran through multiple scenarios hoisting and abseiling our casualties through the challenging confines of the ship.
The final element of training took us to the fan favourite, Sennybridge. Although the drive past the muddy woodblocks brought back dark memories and a few nervous twitches, it was a welcomed arrival at the demolition site when we were presented with thousands of shotgun cartridges to ‘evaporate’ doors with. After completing our ACMTs we were put through an Explosive Method of Entry (EMOE) serial to inoculate us to the ‘whoopetah’ produced by the AE’s shaped charges. It is fair to say that we were well and truly inoculated by the end of the day.
The course concluded with a full-scale company attack and HVA onto RFA Lyme Bay giving us a chance to put into practice everything taught over the eight-week course. Simultaneously boarding the ship, we established a foothold covertly before clearing through the ship and dealing with the hostile occupants and casualties onboard. Boarding successful; Course complete and another group of boarding operators trained and ready to deploy onto maritime operations around the globe.
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)
