Frigate ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ (F-102) has just left her homeport in Ferrol (NW Spain) to integrate into the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG-1). The deployment will take place in the North Atlantic, Baltic and North Seas until the end of June. The farewell ceremony was presided over by the Commander of the 31st Escort Squadron, Captain Gonzalo Villar.
The integration will officially occur during her transit towards Scotland where the SNMG-1 will make a call before participating in the UK-managed exercise ‘Joint Warrior 191.
The high readiness SNMG-1 is one of NATO’s rapid reaction forces made up of rotating frigates and logistic ships from the Alliance’s member states. This time, the group will visit several ports in the UK, Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany.
Frigate ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’, currently under command of Cdr. Gonzalo Leira, is the second ‘Aegis’-equipped F-100 frigate of a batch of 5 units, specially designed for anti-air warfare. These ships are some of the most technologically advanced warships in Europe.