17 Port & Maritime Regiment of Marchwood in New Forest undertakes new challenge in Albania

SURVEYING the work of his troops, Lieutenant Colonel Terry Wilcox smiled broadly and said: “I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Commanding officer of 17 Port & Maritime Regiment, who are based at Marchwood, he was commenting on the fact that within 48 hours the unit had turned what was a rundown former Soviet Albanian naval base into a fully functioning landing port for British fighting forces.

It is the first time 17 Port & Maritime has undertaken the task in Albania, during which they worked hand-in-hand with its sister regiment the 165 Reserves.

Lt Col. Wilcox said: “I am really proud of both units. There were new challenges they overcame.

“But yet again they have proved that the UK military don’t need a ready made port. It is not a strategic problem for us because UK forces can just pop up virtually anywhere and turn a beach, or sleepy hollow, into an operating port in a very short amount of time.”

What that means is that the UK can rapidly insert a fighting force into a country, or region, when needed.

The 17 Port & Maritime and the 165 are taking part in exercise Austere Wolf as part of the 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade which involves the UK’s Strategic Reserve Force (SRF) – comprising of a battle group of 400-plus personnel equipped with armoured and support vehicles.

Austere Wolf – named after the badge of the 104 Theatre Sustainment Brigade of which 17 Port & Maritime are a part – is one of a series of military exercises and deployments involving UK forces combining with Nato allies and partner nations across south-eastern Europe.

Having established the new port in the Pasha Liman base in Vlorë, the 17 Port & Maritime and 165s provided ship-to-shore transportation of equipment, vehicles and weapons.

In a real war scenario, a regiment such as the infantry would then follow, their entry having been made possible by 17’s expertise at establishing a landing beach.

The A&T had seen 17 Port & Maritime and 165 load their equipment onto a ro-ro – roll-on/roll-off – vessel at Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre about 10 days before it arrived in Albania.

Crucial to that exercise was the Mexeflote, which was designed in Christchurch by the Military Engineering Experimental Establishment (Mexe).

In Albania it came into its own again. At the base is a rusting Soviet submarine built around the same time as the Mexe was invented, around 1960.

But the Mexe is still performing a vital role for the British forces.

Ships warrant officer for Royal Fleet Auxiliary Anthony Beaney said: “It is fit for purpose as it has always been and always will be.

“I am a huge fan of the Mexe. We couldn’t achieve the task without it. I’ve seen it in action all over the world in multiple environments and it never lets us down.”

Before 17 arrived, the Albanian naval base close to Orikium in the south of the country had been cleared by rangers who, in a real-life scenario, would be identifying risks such as enemy positions and undetonated explosives in the area.

Next, the 17 Port & Maritime diving team carried out inspections of the area of coast earmarked for the location of the port, marking obstructions with buoys and identifying areas of debris.

Once they had done their work the cargo of the huge Hartland Point ship – which laid nose to tail would stretch for 2,600 metres – could be safely taken ashore and work started on turning a Russian relic into a fully functioning port.