Exercise Sorbet Royal tests submarine rescue procedures

  • 17 Jun. 2005 - 30 Jun. 2005
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  • Last updated: 04 Nov. 2008 00:47

Participants from 14 countries are attempting to rescue over 200 sailors ‘trapped’ in sunken submarines in NATO’s largest and most challenging live submarine escape and rescue exercise, Sorbet Royal 2005, 17-30 June.

Participants from 14 countries are attempting to rescue over 200sailors ‘trapped’ in sunken submarines in NATO’s largest and mostchallenging live submarine escape and rescue exercise, Sorbet Royal2005, 17-30 June.

The exercise is designed to test thecapability of international submarine escape and rescue personnel,equipment and procedures to cope with the most extreme submarine rescuemissions.

Escape from the deep

Duringthree weeks, four submarines from Italy, the Netherlands, Spain andTurkey will be ‘sunk’ to the bottom of the sea, each with a full crewof 52 persons.

Rescue forces with a range ofsophisticated rescue vehicles and systems from Italy, the UnitedKingdom and the United States of America, together with specialistdivers, medical teams and support and salvage ships from Canada,France, Greece, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain,Sweden, and the United Kingdom, will work together to solve complexrescue and medical problems in a variety of demanding scenarios.

Thisyear - for the first time - units from Russia and Ukraine are takingpart, as is Israel, a member of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue.

Withover 40 different nations now operating submarines worldwide, interestin the exercise is expected to extend to the entire global submarinecommunity including China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Chile andmany others.