Royal Navy Conducts Anti-Piracy Exercises

Today as we sailed through the Gulf of Oman, the Royal Navy ship, HMS Defender, conducted anti-piracy exercises nearby, which the Queen Elizabeth passengers and crew were able to watch. Since we were sailing in waters known for pirate activities, we were comforted seeing the RN ship and knowing that it was active in these waters.

Captain Aseem Hashmi announced earlier that HMS Defender, a Type 45 destroyer, would be conducting the exercises, so the decks were jammed with passengers and crew waiting to see them.

Mid-afternoon we watched HMS Defender rapidly approaching. It was amazing how quickly it could move through the water. It eventually came along side the Queen Elizabeth and the two ships sailed in tandem for a while.

HMS Defender

Defender sailed around to the other side of the QE and was moving so fast that the ship listed to one side as it turned. It also sailed in a zigzag pattern, weaving back and forth.

Rapidly Moving Defender

In the meantime, a Lynx helicopter deployed by Defender flew over head several times demonstrating how it could get close to a ship or boat that it viewed as threatening. The helicopter swooped down and surprised us with how close it could get to the water.

The doors of the helicopter were open and we could see the crew inside it, armed and ready to fire on a vessel if necessary.

Lynx Helicopter

Sometime during the exercise, the crew of Defender hoisted the Royal Navy ensign (flag).

HMS Defender Flying the RN Ensign

We watched as the helicopter returned to Defender’s flight deck. The Queen Elizabeth sounded its horn several times to show its appreciation, and we waved to the sailors on the deck as Defender sailed away. The exercise caused a lot of excitement on the ship and made for an interesting afternoon.

Note: The above post is out of sequence with our itinerary. The RN exercises occurred after we visited Malaysia, Thailand, and India. But I didn’t want to wait until I posted my blog for those places before covering today’s exercises.