The frigate ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ and the AOR ‘Patiño’ return to Ferrol following their deployment with NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 1

• The Navy vessels have bolstered allied maritime security in key areas such as the North Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea

After more than three months, the frigate ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ (F-102) and the Combat Supply Ship (BAC in Spanish) ‘Patiño’ (A-14) have completed their integration into NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG-1). Both ships will remain berthed at the Ferrol Naval Dockyard until the official conclusion of their participation in this deployment, which will culminate with the handover of SNMG-1 in Plymouth (England), bringing to an end the period of Spanish leadership at the helm of the group.

The ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ has served as the SNMG-1’s command ship, operating under the leadership of Spanish Rear Admiral Joaquín Ruiz Escagedo, at the head of a multinational staff comprising sailors from Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Operations have taken place in areas of the North Atlantic and in the waters off northern Europe, as well as in regions close to the Arctic, where both ships have operated in adverse weather conditions and extreme cold.  During this deployment, the ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ has reached the northernmost latitudes at which it has operated to date, presenting a significant operational and logistical challenge for the crew.

The frigate—under the command of Commander Miguel A. Romero Contreras—has taken part in various high-intensity naval exercises, notably ‘Dynamic Mariner’ and ‘Cold Response’—in conditions of extreme cold and in multi-domain scenarios. These activities have contributed to advanced training and interoperability between allied units.

For its part, the BAC ‘Patiño’—under the command of Commander Ramón González-Cela Echevarría—has, for the first time, provided medical air transport capability to SNMG-1, in addition to the facilities offered by its on-board hospital. Furthermore, it has contributed to the group’s logistical support, thereby increasing the autonomy of the group’s units and other allied units in the area.

This deployment has also been marked by a high level of institutional activity and a strong naval presence in allied ports, with port calls at Den Helder (Netherlands), Riga (Latvia), Stockholm (Sweden), Bergen and Stavanger (Norway), Kiel (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Dublin (Ireland), where official visits and activities to promote the image of Spain and NATO abroad have been carried out.

This deployment reinforces Spain’s and the Navy’s commitment to the Atlantic Alliance, as well as solidarity with the other NATO member countries, thereby supporting deterrence and collective defence at sea and from the sea.