Type 42 destroyer HMS Newcastle has been involved in three weeks of training and exercising in the Black Sea region.

Newcastle – one of 12 ships earmarked to be paid off under the defence shake-up announced this week – joined a small element of the NATO Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (SNFM) Task Group in Varna, Bulgaria, for the harbour training phase of Exercise Co-operative Partner 04 (CP04).

CP04 is a combined joint crisis response operation exercise involving NATO and partner nation forces with ‘Mediterranean Dialogue Nations’ as observers.

The aim of the exercise is to provide training in maritime operations such that the new NATO and partner nations could participate in United Nations operations.

There are 40 ships involved including units from SNFM, Mine Countermeasures Force South (MCMFORSOUTH), Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey and France.

Newcastle arrived for the latter stages of the harbour training and exercise planning and then participated fully in the sea phase.

In Varna the host nation, faced with a large number of visiting ships, did an excellent job of catering for the requirements of the force.

Interaction between all units was encouraged by the exercise directors and assisted by the host nation, who provided the venue and entertainment for a large international barbecue.

The sea phase gave plenty of opportunity for close contact with the CP04 units – an example was the Ukrainian Krivak III Frigate UP Sagaidachny practising replenishment at sea (RAS) approaches with Newcastle.

Whilst in port the pilot and flight commander of Newcastle's 201 Flt approached the UP Sagaidachny and enquired about the opportunity to conduct a cross-deck flying exercise or ‘flyex’.

The aircrew conducted a reconnaissance and, despite some unfamiliar fixtures, the Krivak’s deck was deemed safe to conduct Lynx deck landings.

The Ukrainian crew were out in force as Newcastle’s Lynx Mk 8 landed for the first time on their deck and the aircrew were given a very warm welcome.

The Sagaidachny was presented with a print of the Lynx, to which they generously reciprocated with a bottle of chilli vodka, which on sampling provided a considerable incentive for the aircrew to repeat further flyex’s with the Ukrainians.

Following five successful deck landings, ‘Trojan 45’ departed looking forward to conducting further training together in the near future.