A TRIO of NATO warships were spotted off the Inverclyde coast earlier this week.
The three ships were spotted off Gourock on Thursday by eagle-eyed Greenock Telegraph Camera Club member, Morag Blair.
Two Canadian forces vessels were spotted at anchor off of Gourock earlier this week (Image: Morag Blair – Greenock Telegraph Camera Club) Two Canadian minesweepers were spotted at anchor on the River Clyde whilst one Latvian warship that used to be a minelayer was spotted whilst making the trip to King George V dock in Renfrew.
HMCS Edmonton and HMCS Yellowknife were launched within a year of each other, in 1996 and 1997.
Both are Kingston class coastal defence vessels, weighing 970 tonnes, intended to conduct coastal patrols, minesweeping, law enforcement, pollution surveillance and response as well as search and rescue duties.
Virsaitis was also spotted sailing up the Clyde on Thursday (Image: Morag Blair – Greenock Telegraph Camera Club) Meanwhile, the Latvian vessel LVNS Virsaitis was also spotted making the trip up the river.
Launched for the Norwegian navy in 1978 as the minelayer HNoMS Vale, she was decommissioned in January 2003, before being donated to the Latvian Navy in April of the same year and renamed Virsaitis.
Her name translates into English as ‘chieftain’ – the name of the rather smaller vessel which plies its trade on the Clyde ferry crossing between Gourock and Kilcreggan in the Caledonian MacBrayne colours.
The vessel now serves as the current flagship of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group, which also includes the German vessel FGS Dillingen, the Polish Navy mninesweeper ORP Necko, and, as of this summer, the two Canadian vessels also spotted off Gourock.
Yellowknife and Edmonton were officially welcomed to SNMCMG1 in Belfast before the vessels travelled to Glasgow for the next phase of their operations.