According to this news release, not since May 1925 have the people of the Republic of Palau seen the White Ensign, when minesweeper HMS Bluebell called in on the archipelago, which sits some 500 miles east of the Philippines.
“Nearly a century later Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tamar arrived in Malakal Harbour off the capital Koror as part of a US-led peace/goodwill mission, accompanied by the 1,000-bed hospital ship USNS Mercy. The latter is flagship of Pacific Partnership 22, a two-month deployment to remote communities around the Indo-Pacific, supported by the US allies, delivering medical aid and assistance, supporting community projects, assisting with infrastructure and taking part in sporting and community activities.
A Royal Navy officer (Captain Charles Maynard) is the deputy commander of the mission from the USNS Mercy, as well as RN medical officer Lieutenant Lesley Hailey, part of the international team on the hospital ship. Now Tamar – on a five-year mission with her sister HMS Spey as part of the UK’s ‘tilt’ back to the Indo-Pacific – has joined Pacific Partnership 22 for the deployment’s closing weeks.
During the six-day visit to Palau, Tamar hosted its President, Surangel Whipps Jr and numerous senior government officials to show what the ship and her men and women are capable of, before throwing open the gangway to some of the country’s 18,000 inhabitants. There were discussions on how the nations involved in Pacific Partnership – Australia, Japan, the UK and the USA – could provide assistance, specifically related to humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and medical exchanges.”
You can read the full thing here.
Momentous😃 but I would not have thought Palau would be on the RN’s shopping list anyway but still, nice to see. The batch 2’s are wonderful little ships that do the same work that the larger escorts had to handle thus freeing them up for more important stuff. Now I would also like to see Tamar visit Pitcairn, Britain’s last lonely outpost in the Pacific with a population of only 42 and dwindling! If they can do Palau then must do Pitcairn!!
HMS Spey recently visited Pitcairn Islands.
Thanks Eufster-didn’t know that. I am sure the Bounty descendants were happy to see the RN unlike the visits of yesteryear! Cheers G
Part of me always hoped CSG21 would return by heading east across the Pacific and around Cape Horn specifically so they could visit Pitcairn and the Falklands on the way back.
Would have been an epic trek!!
Indeed it would have. I can’t help but wonder what the Pitcairners would have made of a visit to QE, especially those Pitcairn born and bred who haven’t ever left the island.
I would’ve enjoyed reading Argentinean media if that had happened!
That would have been magnificent- Argies would have done their nuts in to see a full carrier strike group with 5th generation stealth jets and type 45 destroyers (and of course an astute class in tow too) Nothing would have informed the Argies of our political will to fight and defend our territory than that. Falklands are British- have been for nearly 200 years.
HMS Spey visited Pitcairn in February.
B2 already visited Pitcairn nearer the start of their deployment, can’t remember if it was Tamar, Spey or both but it was before they made it to Singapore
PS..and go and say”Howsit” to Klonkie in NZ while they are in the neighbourhood😂
Maybe they could knock of the Kiwi’s/Aotearoan’s/whatever they are calling themselves’ door and wake them up.
I don’t reckon they’d go for some Australian built T26s (one can dream), but T31s really should not be beyond them. Or perhaps even offer to let them build some River B2s domestically.
T31 is more what they need given distances and threats. They need some ASW and some offensive bang.
T31 with a hull sonar + 8 cell VLS + Ceptor would be perfect for them.
NZ don’t have a big enough navy to support two varietals.
Chinas new base in the Solomon Island is practically on their doorstep in Pacific terms. They need to wake up pretty quick.
I don’t think the putrid smell of Mad Vlad’s brand of coffee has permeated to NZ.
China don’t mean well and the sooner we all realised they want to demolish the world order the better.
Mad Vlad’s catastrophic mess will in equal measure have drawn pause and given valuable information to China.
I suspect it was meant to be curtain raiser to the main spectacular.
That said, no top tier NATO weapons have been used so China can only wonder at the effect those would have had.
SB, as a Kiwi (I still identify as a New Zealander),I think your assessment is spot on. The Type 31 is a fine candidate for consideration to replace the tired ANZAC frigates (all 2 of them)
T31 – definitely no. A140 ? Distinct possibility. Except 24 CAMM, 24 CAMM-ER, NS200 radar, 127mm main gun, rafted engines, hull mounted radar – just to start. No point in going backwards.
you have my vote re the A140 DJ
Jacinda Queen of the Hermit Islands would forbid it. Well after she had consulted her Chicom masters.
Hi John, her reign is nearing an end. I can’t see Labour winning next year’s general election . On a lighter note, my summary of the Labour government’s defence policy towards China step 1. appeasement step 2. surrender (just in case) step 3. collaboration
Hope she does go down Klonkie. Along with her Canadian lick spittle WEF clone. They have done more damage to those two great countries than anyone in history. All the best.
Wise words John, thank you.
Mate, how are you Geoff? Cracking sunny day in Auckland, and the Boks beat the the All Blacks last weekend. Personally, I’d be thrilled to have any RN ship visit Auckland with an obligatory open day onboard.
All well Klonkie. All Blacks at a low ebb at present. Didn’t see the game-was doing a trail run in Mtunzini! I’ll see if I can arrange a Type 45 for Christmas in Auckland😉 Cheers from Durbs
type 45 visit= best xmas ever! Cheers Mate.
I imagine the southern Irish see things differently.
Sending hospital ships to remote island nations is a genius and really commendable idea. Lot of respect for that mission
B2 forward basing has been a great success, however the ships are very limited. Would be great to see such missions expanded with T31 frigate and something along the lines of the Black Swan Sloop of War proposal that could carry drones for ASW/MCM as well as disaster relief or naval security and interdiction roles. Such vessels could be scattered across Commonwealth realms in the pacific carribean and Mediterranean primarily to bring disaster relief and security assistance while maintaining the ability to be rapidly upgraded through the inclusion of drones and modules. Such a ubiquitous presence would be of great… Read more »
Not too far from there, I wonder if they got a chance to visit Nauru, a case study in how NOT to run an island country. Rich phosphorus deposits were strip-mined for over a century. The island was awash in cash from it, everybody on the island got a royalty/subsidy that kept them from having to work. Then in the 1990s the phosphorus was all gone (leaving an environmental disaster) and the government turned to all manner of revenue generation to keep the citizens happy: Nauru passports for $100 and no, we won’t allow you to be extradited; money laundering;… Read more »
Nice for the crews and nice for recruitment but pointless otherwise. Although there is clearly a significant value in letting the crews see the world as it increases retention and sexyness of being in the RN.
Lol the Chinese would certainly agree with you, “Steve”. No point in the hospital ship going to the most remote civilizations on earth. No value in Royal Marine/Navy marine engineering teams or their US counterparts even though they help put back together Caribbean island nations on a regular basis. No point in the critical supplies they can bring or the face to face diplomacy between the West and countless small nations. Better to leave it all for China to gobble up. Right mate. Got it.
And how is a single ship coming once a hundred years going to impact any of that?
This isn’t disaster relief, it’s purely flag flying.
Well now the ships are forward deployed in the region we may see more frequent visits. I think it’s great. It will make a lot of people happy every time somewhere is visited. Honestly some folks are never happy. (Not directed at you Steve) the rivers are better than nothing and that’s exactly what was there before.
The patrols are very useful. I just wish they had a bit more oomph than a B2.
Bays were better at this as they had real heavy duty facilities and 2 x 30mm as well…..
Just wondering why 2 HMS Offshore Patrol Vessels, are swanning around the big bad deep dangerous Pacific ocean, armed only with a pop gun, and a couple of gpmg’s.
All discussed on here when they first deployed.
What would you want to see going around the pacific? The rivers B2 had to be ordered due to delays with ordering the type 26. I don’t think the navy wanted the B2 at the time. I’m glad they have found a use for them away from the uk. These batch 2 river boats are as big as a frigate of the 60/70s. Before the type 22 frigates were often only armed with a few weapons. My view is not every ship needs to be bristling with weapons. Every systems requires crew to operate and maintain it. This in turn… Read more »
Boris Johnsons ego. Meanwhile, in the English Channel nearer home…🙄
Not the Royal Navy’s job.
Border Force do need to get a grip on the RNLI though.
Might need a super tanker to fit the ego in. Ukrainians like him maybe they can donate Boris a summer house
https://thinpinstripedline.blogspot.com/2022/07/do-you-need-gunboat-to-do-gunboat.html
This explains why far better then I can.
Probably because it’s all we can spare given the tiny size of our navy. Showing the flag is ideal for these OPVs.
What would you prefer? They’re constabulary vessels, not T45s.
For what they do, they’re fine. A UAV embarked would be an addition, plus a SIGINT suite, not 16 inch guns.
Boring isn’t it. Every time there is an article involving the B2s it’s the same. A giant inflatable middle finger would be more use than the weapons posters on here want to see them carry.
Crucial work- update admiralty charts, sonography etc- if things go south with China there will be a need for onsite up to date intel. I’d send a few more river batch 2’s out to the far east and get as many goodwill port visits done as possible. Spec out defensive locations, airfields, sites for fortifications, artillery, air defence batteries, docking yards, berths for small and large warships etc.
95% of the comments are totally missing the point about what these vessels are for, and the very important work they conduct. Diplomatic relations, flag waving, whatever you want to call it, are a demonstration of the UKs commitment to security in this part of the world. The B2 is a very capable warship, and not everything in the Navy is judged by how many VLS you have, or how big the gun up front us, it certainly won’t worry the crew. Bigger warships won’t fit in the many small ports in the area for example. The RN wants to… Read more »
However, I fear the fantasy fleets my guns bigger than yours brigade are not interested.
I respectfully exclude SB in that given his knowledge, despite his change of heart regarding these assets.
Yeah, he has some good comments. It goes without saying we would all like more escorts, and T26 ,T45 especially need to be well armed. T31 has a lot of potential for the budget and business model. But OPV’S don’t need to be bristling with weapons. Just a big stash of Gin 😆
And pork products for cocktail parties in countries where its not permitted. The Brit guests I have seen stuffing their faces with Ham sarnies and sausages on sticks at cocktail parties is a sight to behold…Dont even start me off on the dits resulting from excessive free Gin !
They already dispense whisky and clotted cream, but some people are never satisfied. For them we have to fit the gin option too. 😜
B2 is not a very capable warship. It could have been but it isn’t.
It’s capable for what its designed to do, and for the role the RN are using them for.
Far too much money was spent to achieve what they presently achieve. A bit more thought could have given options. Ukraine shows how fast situations can change. Your options tend to be limited when you purposely design it that way. The role that the RN is using them for is fine in peacetime. The problem comes if the role needs to change.
Two minesweepers sail into a pub, one says to the other, mines a beer.