The second, practical stage of the FRUKUS-2012 joint naval exercise starts on June 27. In Wednesday morning, participating ships – American guided missile cruiser USS Normandy, British destroyer HMS York, French frigate De Grasse, and Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry – will take the sea and lay a course for Baltic Fleet (BF) test ranges, a source in defense ministry told Central Navy Portal.
French frigate De Grasse and British destroyer HMS York will leave the host quay of BF main naval base Baltiysk first. Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry will be the last to depart from the base. Being currently anchored off the harbor, American cruiser USS Normandy will join the task group in the sea.
On the first day of the sea phase, the ships will practice repelling attacks of small-size surface targets (Russian fast-speed boats will assist them in the drill) and joint maneuvering with rotational handover of the task group command. It is planned that frigate Yaroslav Mudry would hold maneuvers in the following sequence: at first, with frigate De Grasse, then with cruiser USS Normandy, and finally with destroyer HMS York. Totally, the drills will take about 12 hours.
Recall that the solemn FRUKUS-2012 opening ceremony took place in the BF main base Baltiysk on June 25. At the first stage, participants of the four-lateral naval exercise held a planning conference and discussed communication and inter-ship cooperation issues. In June 25-26, sailors competed in volleyball, soccer, swimming, and other sports.
Headquarters of the FRUKUS-2012 exercise is established in Central Naval Museum (ST. Petersburg) and comprises representatives of all four participating countries. The ships are expected to arrive at the Russia's "maritime capital" on June 30.