The Ghana Navy (GN) has strengthened its readiness in protecting Ghana’s territorial waters and marine installations through testing the endurance and combat readiness of its ships.
This was done through revisiting its old tradition of crossing the Equator known in naval terms as ‘Crossing The Line’ dubbed ‘Exercise Sea Lion 2024’ to test the resilience and readiness of the naval ships and personnel onboard.
The four-day sail of the selected Ghana Navy Ships; (GNS) Volta and Ankobra in the company of a United States (US) navy ship, started from Tema Monday, March 19-22, at Sekondi covering a total distance of 650 nautical miles crossing the Equator on Thursday, March 21, at exactly 7:15am.
The joint multinational exercise initiated by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), saw the ships traveling over a stretch of 340 nautical miles from Tema to the Equator to touch the center of the earth at longitude and latitude 0 at exactly 7:15am on Thursday, March 21, for the first leg of the journey and a 310 nautical miles from the Equator to Sekondi for the second leg of the journey arriving at 9:55am on Friday, March 22.
At the Equator, personnel onboard the ships were initiated into King Neptune’s Kingdom after taking them through traditions associated with it, changing their statuses from Pollywogs to Shellbacks. Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, flagging off the ships at the Tema Harbour, last Tuesday, March 19, stated that the objective of the exercise, apart from testing the endurance and combat readiness of the ships, was also to enhance maritime security, train personnel in fleet maneuvers and conduct a joint exercise between the three arms of the GAF.
According to him, the “Exercise Sea Lion 2024” was also targeted at exercising the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) of the navy in counterterrorism and hostage rescue operations and the training of personnel of the Ghana Army Special Operations Brigade (GASOB) in amphibious landing operations.
Lt. Gen. Oppong-Peprah stressed that the joint nature of the exercise would help build interoperability among the arms of GAF for future operations and contemporary security threats such as piracy and terrorism in West African sub-region which required a robust, comprehensive, adequately equipped and well trained personnel to deal with such situations.
The CDS underscored the importance of the exercise as it once again, showcased Ghana as the closest country to the center of the earth with additional aim of unearthing the tourism potential that could be harnessed from such voyage.
Closing the “Exercise Sea Lion 2024” at Sekondi on Friday, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu, said the completion of the military amphibious exercise involving the GASOB, the SBS of the Ghana Navy and the Fighter Squadron of the Ghana Air Force testified the extraordinary capabilities of the GAF.
He was of the belief that, through meticulous planning, rigorous training, and coordinated efforts, such tri-service joint amphibious operation which was conducted some decades ago, showcased the military’s unparalleled strength and readiness against any external aggression.
Rear Admiral Yakubu commended the leadership of the three arms of the GAF for facilitating the process and all members of the crew for their unwavering dedication, professionalism and teamwork for the success of the exercise. He acknowledged Minister-Designate for Tourism, Andrew Agyapa Mercer for his support and the Ghana Tourism Authority for their collaboration hoping to collaborate with the authority in future to boost tourist attraction for Ghana.
“To our partners from United States of America, especially the Captain and crew of Hershel Woody Williams, who participated in the Ocean Navigation Exercise, thank you for standing shoulder to shoulder with us as we strive to collaborate to achieve our shared goals and conquer our common enemies.
Your unwavering support to the Ghana Armed Forces is well acknowledged and cherished,” he acknowledged.
FROM KEN AFEDZI, ABOADZE
