THE training of Iraq’s new navy has stepped up a gear with the arrival of RFA Sir Bedivere as the fledgling fleet’s mother ship.

The venerable landing support ship has replaced RFA Diligence as the training vessel used by Iraqi sailors to hone their skills ahead of assuming defensive duties in the northern Arabian Gulf.

Anyone who has sailed the Khawr Abd Allah (God’s Highway) into Umm Qasr knows that it’s a lengthy (and fairly tedious) journey.

Using a mother ship stationed in the Gulf saves transiting time – and hence allows more time for training.

But Bedivere is more than a floating pontoon or garage – although the Iraqis make full use of her for refuelling and re-supplying.

“Bedivere allows much more training to be conducted at sea,” explains Capt Tim Stockings, the RN officer currently in charge of the Naval Transition Team (NaTT) which is training the Iraqi Navy.

“She allows lessons in fire-fighting, damage control, navigation, command and control. The ‘sea sense’ the Iraqi sailors and marines are developing is all part of building for the future.”

That ‘building for the future’ will eventually mean the Iraqi Navy will patrol its own waters and defend the two oil distribution platforms at the head of the Gulf. It’s a task which will be aided next year by the arrival of the first of 21 new patrol ships.

“The Iraqis are fast learners and are determined to succeed so that they can play a bigger part in the future security of their country,” Capt Stockings added.

The 60-strong NaTT team comprises experts drawn from the RN, RM, British Army, US Army, Navy and Marine Corps and the US Coast Guard, all based in Umm Qasr, Iraq’s principal deep-water port.

The Naval Transition Team has been an ever-present feature in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, since which time the new navy has made considerable strides.

“In a country where bad news often dominates the headlines, the work done by our small coalition team stands out as a truly ‘good news story’,” Capt Stockings said.

“Living and working with the Iraqi Navy is an extraordinary experience – and a great privilege. Here at NaTT we are delivering today and building for tomorrow.”
You can follow the work of NaTT here