NATO ensures security off the coast of Brittany

Countless tonnes of explosives were dropped not only on land targets during the two world wars, but also on the water. Added to this are mines, some of which were laid at locations that are no longer traceable today and still pose a threat to shipping more than three quarters of a century later. With the two Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Groups (SNMCMGs), the Western defence alliance has not only created a means of reacting quickly to current mine threats. They also regularly support local authorities in the removal of so-called contaminated sites.

The SNMCMG 1, which is responsible for the sea area in northern Europe, was recently able to make a further contribution to maritime safety. In the French waters off the mouth of the Seine, the boats spent a total of 480 hours clearing a 65 square mile area of contaminated sites. Divers from the French, Portuguese, American and Latvian navies spent nine and a half hours between 10 and 18 August classifying suspicious objects underwater. Of the 54 contacts, three were identified as airborne mines with a TNT equivalent of more than 2.5 tonnes from the Second World War. Two of these were discovered before Courseulles by the French minesweeper Croix du Sud discovered and rendered harmless. A fisherman reported the discovery of another mine, which the embarked experts on board the USNS Carson City were taken care of. To simplify future operations in this sea area, the Maritime Operations Centre in Cherbourg received detailed information about the nature of the seabed in the searched area.

At the time of the deployment, the SNMCMG 1 also included the Latvian boat Talivaldis and the German Homburg. The tender acts as the flagship for the commander, US Captain Sam Brasfield Elbe. After the operation, the boats headed for Eemshaven in the Netherlands, where the crews prepared to take part in the Sandy Coast 2021 manoeuvre.

Text: mb; Photo: NATO, Marine Nationale