The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Musa Ndow
10 September 2009
column
Her Majesty's Royal Ship Enterprise, with 75 Royal Navy officers and marines on board arrived in The Gambian shores for a week-long visit to be characterised by some basic training on peacekeeping operations with their Gambian counterparts.
Upon her arrival in The Gambia from Sierra Leone through Senegal, the British Royal Navy Ship under the command of Captain Adams James were hosted to a dinner, last Monday evening that accorded them the opportunity to interact with their Gambian counterparts and some members of the society, including the media.
Captain James, the captain of the ship told the Daily Observer that their visit to The Gambia is part of their three months tour of Africa, predominantly in West Africa. He said during this period, they will be conducting series of training with their counterparts and also collect data that would be used to create maritime charts that allows both civil and military mariners to navigate around the world's seas. "Along side the bathymetric data it gathers, it would also collect a wide variety of other oceanographic and atmospheric data which he said are not only used for military purpose but also supplied to the academic community where it contributes to increasing the knowledge of the world's oceans" he said.
According to him, this class of warship is designed primarily for military data gathering, principally with the use of multi-beam sonar which provides defense with rapidly deployable, organic military data gathering capability for the collection of Geospatial information. He said the ship is armed with 20mm cannons, 2 Mk44 Mini-guns and 5 GPMGs, with an ability to maintain a sustained a speed of 15 knots in a sea state 4 and with an operational range of 9000 nautical miles. He added that the ship is also capable of contributing to military tasks assigned to naval survey vessels, either independently or within a task group.
He said their duties in the African shores, includes assuring freedom of navigation for the military and civilian mariner through her bathymetric and oceanographic operations. During this period, he went on, it will produce modern high resolution charting and deliver access to high interest regions of the world, whilst enhancing defense relations and promoting the wider interests of the UK.
Captain James revealed that HMS would continue to conduct operations in the region until later this year when she will make her way into the Indian Ocean and the Gulf. Commodore Sarjo Fofana, head of the Gambia Navy, thanked the visiting Royal Navy for choosing The Gambia as part of the countries to be visited. He said their stay in the country would give them the opportunity to learn from each other's new military skills. Brigadier General Omar Bun Mbaye of the Gambia Armed Forces, US ambassador Barry Wells and the British High Commissioner to The Gambia Phil Sinkinson, among other diplomats attended the dinner.
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