Portuguese Frigate To Join CSG And NATO Fleet

Portuguese Navy frigate NRP Bartolomeu Dias has left port to join up with the U.K. Carrier Strike Group (CSG) headed up by HMS Prince of Wales.

The Marinha Portuguesa vessel yesterday (Monday) departed from Lisbon Naval Base, in a ceremony presided over by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General José Nunes da Fonseca.

It will spend time with the other ships deployed to Operation Highmast, the name given to the CSG’s eight-month mission to the Indo-Pacific, and also the Permanent Naval Force of the Atlantic Alliance Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1).

As per a Portuguese Navy press statement,  NRP Bartolomeu Dias is scheduled to take part in the Neptune Strike 25.1 and Med Strike 25 NATO interoperability exercises.

She will then leave Highmast as the CSG moves east; the Portuguese frigate will join SNMG1, supporting the naval component of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF), NATO's high-readiness joint force, and will participate in Operation Brilliant Shield. Her return to base is expected towards the end of August.

The NRP Bartolomeu Dias is commanded by Captain Elias Joaquim Véstia Cagarrinho and has a crew of 174, including a helicopter detachment and a team of divers.

• You can read more information on the Portuguese Navy website