One of NATO’s four standing Naval forces has visited Edinburgh – namesake city of the British representative in the group.

Type 42 destroyer HMS Edinburgh was one of six ships from the Standing Naval Force Atlantic (SNFL) which sailed into the Scottish capital.

The force – which also included flagship HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck (Netherlands), FGS Rhon (Germany), FGS Niedersachsen (Germany), NRP Alvares Cabral (Portugal) and USS Klakring (United States) – spent four days alongside at Leith, the port of Edinbugh on the Forth.

First established in 1968, SNFL is one of NATO’s at-sea readiness forces which are designed to deploy rapidly in response to a crisis, quickly establishing an Allied presence.

Between six and ten ships – usually destroyers, frigates and tankers – are attached to the Force for up to eight months.

Command of the Force rotates on an annual basis amongst the contributing nations, which also includes Canada, Denmark, Norway, Poland and Spain.

The Force is currently headed by Commodore Leon Bruin of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

SNFL was scheduled to take part in the Joint Maritime Course off Scotland as Navy News went to press – a welcome change to its recent task of monitoring shipping for evidence of terrorist activities in the Mediterranean, escorting vessels and carrying out compliant boardings of merchant vessels.

HMS Edinburgh has strong links with Scotland’s capital city, with her last visit being made in the autumn of 2003.

Scotland’s “capital ship” has also been helping one-time foes turned friends join the NATO family in the Mediterranean.

For years swallowed up by the Soviet bloc, Bulgaria has since April been a full-member of the military alliance.

Her Naval forces quickly took advantage of that new membership by joining SNFL – pronounced ‘sniffle’ – on exercises in the eastern Mediterranean.

Much of that work involved ‘Eddie’, as the RN crew helped their Bulgarian counterparts practise the art of seamanship from replenishment at sea to towing, involving the ships Smeli and Atya.

At fewer than 2,000 tons, frigate Smeli is half Edinburgh’s displacement, but still managed to take the destroyer under tow.

Greek fighter-bombers simulated air attacks and a Hellenic submarine provided the underwater threat as the Bulgarians practised defence against assaults above and below the waves.

For Edinburgh, which sailed from Portsmouth in April and will not return home before September, working with the Balkan ships proved enlightening.

“The Bulgarians have proven to be proud, enthusiastic and professional seamen. We have very much enjoyed working with them,” said Edinburgh’s Commanding Officer Cdr Russ Tuppen.

“”NATO has underpinned peace in Europe for the past 50 years. Enlarging it and engaging more countries in dialogue can only be a good thing for our future stability.”