HNLMS Johan de Witt departed Den Helder on 6 September to serve for two and a half months as flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1). This NATO task force operates in the Baltic Sea and around Western Europe.
With more than 170 crew members on board, Johan de Witt takes over the role from HNLMS De Ruyter. The amphibious transport ship will support patrols and diplomatic missions in the coming period, as well as conduct naval presence operations in the Baltic and Western Europe.
Last week, HNLMS De Ruyter returned home after a four-month deployment, during which it contributed to Operation Baltic Sentry in the Baltic Sea and conducted patrols in the Barents Sea.
Also read: Navies team up for port protection exercise
Flagship
As flagship, the Johan de Witt hosts an international NATO staff, commanded by Dutch Commodore Arjen Warnaar, who directs the task force. The deployment contributes to NATO’s visibility and readiness at sea.
SNMG1 is one of four permanent NATO maritime groups maintained on standby for immediate operations when required.
Picture: HNLMS Johan de Witt left Den Helder on 6 September to become the flagship of SNMG1 (photo by the Dutch Ministry of Defence).
