15min has found out that during the naval landing exercise, the Polish warship Gniezno was damaged. This was confirmed by navy Lieutenant Commander Ramūnas Kažerskas. “The ship experienced technical difficulties. It is now in Nemirseta, the troops have disembarked,” R. Kažerskas said.
According to eyewitnesses, the ship hit rocks in its approach to the shore. The rocks damaged the Polish warship, according to unofficial data, puncturing the ship’s hull.
The naval landing operation featured troops from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Portugal and Romania, also the Polish and US dock landing ships Gniezno and USS Fort McHenry, with air support by Spanish attack aircraft AV-8B, British and US helicopters Merlin, Sea King and Sea Hawk. Lithuanian military navy ships Sėlis, Aukštaitis and rescue ship Šakiai ensured safe ship traffic in the area for the duration of the operation.
“These are important exercises for Lithuania, this year it being the 47th time they are held in the Baltic Sea. Their essence is military cooperation and preparedness to react to crises. NATO and partner country forces participating in the exercises demonstrate preparedness for collective defence and solidarity in ensuring security in both the Baltic region and Europe,” Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis said in a press release.
The exercises being held in the Baltic Sea region last from June 9 to June 21. More than 8 thousand servicemen from various branches of the military, 50 warships and 40 aircraft from 16 NATO and 2 partner countries participated. The participating countries are: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, the UK, the USA, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, France, Romania, Finland, Sweden, Turkey and Germany.
BALTOPS is an annual naval forces exercise in the Baltic region led by the United States of America. Its main goal is to strengthen capacities needed to rapidly respond to crises and coordinate regional stability, encourage peace and security in the Baltic region.
