Last Friday, October 1st, frigate ‘Victoria’ (F-82) set sail from Rota Naval Base to integrate into the counter-piracy Operation ‘Atalanta’ in the Indian Ocean. The farewell ceremony, attended by family members of the crew, was presided over by Admiral José María Núñez Torrente, Commander of the Spanish High Readiness Maritime Forces (COMSPMARFOR).
During the initial stage of the departure, the F-82 was escorted by her sister ships ‘Reina Sofía’, ‘Santa María’ and ‘Numancia’.
Her mission in Indian Ocean waters is to contribute to enhance maritime security in the area, providing protection to World Food Program ships and trawlers operating off the coast of Somalia as part of Spain’s commitment to CSDP (Common Security and Defense Policy). This organization intends to offer a comprehensive EU response to the problem of piracy in that part of the world, thus contributing to international stability and security.
As of October 15th, the F-82 will relieve frigate ‘Navarra’ and will operate as flagship of the operation embarking an international Staff under command of Rear admiral Alejandro Cuerda.
The ‘Victoria’ is currently under command of Cdr. Rafael Mira Calvo and her crew is made up of 218 people including personnel from the embarked helicopter, a Marine Corps VPD (vessel protection detachment) and personnel operating the ‘Scan Eagle’ unmanned air system in charge of surveillance tasks.
Frigate ‘Vistoria’ is the second of six F-80 class escorts. She was delivered to the Spanish Navy in 1987 and is the 7th ship in the history of the Spanish Navy with that name in honor of the vessel that brought back Juan Sebastián de Elcano to Spain after circumnavigating the globe for the first time (1519–1522). The frigate’s coat of arms bears the motto ‘Primus circumdedisti me’, the same motto of the sail training ship ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’.