MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
HMS Gloucester scheduled to call at Valparaíso Expo-naval next November
The Fighting G is coming to the end of its commission HMS Gloucester the Royal Navy’s lead patrol vessel in the South Atlantic and currently deployed in the Falkland Islands will be calling in Valparaíso next November to participate at Chile’s Expo-naval.
The news was confirmed in Chile by the organizers of the expo. HMS Gloucester will be representing the UK at the exhibition on defence technology.
The Type 42 destroyer left Portsmouth last August and arrived in the Falkland Islands on September 19 after visiting Brazil and banned from calling into Montevideo a few hours before entering port, in spite of a previous authorization.
Uruguayan president Jose Mujica personally apologized to the British ambassador in Montevideo arguing that “good neighbourly” relations with Argentina are a top priority of Uruguayan foreign policy.
The Foreign Office and the Royal Navy said they respected Uruguay’s position although they did not like the procedure.
The diplomatic incident which was kept secret reached the Uruguayan press and immediately Buenos Aires, and was headlines for several days.
Since 2006 the administration of the Argentine presidential Kirchner couple has been requesting neighbour countries not to give support to British military vessels and aircraft heading for the Falklands.
Other vessels, including innocent pass, through Argentine waters heading to or from the Falklands have to report with the Argentine Coast Guard, according to the latest Argentine noose-tightening of the Islands.
Last September the RN frigate HMS Portland participated in the Valparaiso Naval review as part of the two hundredth celebration of Chile’s independence.
In the Falklands HMS Gloucester is scheduled to call at Stanley and around the Islands as the 28-year-old ship, affectionately known as the Fighting G, nears the end of her deployment.
On her return to the UK in early 2011 she is scheduled to be decommissioned.
This therefore is HMS Gloucester’s final patrol.
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Read all comments“ ... Other vessels, including innocent pass, through Argentine waters heading to or from the Falklands have to report with the Argentine Coast Guard, according to the latest Argentine noose-tightening of the Islands...”
Oct 14th, 2010 - 06:27 am 0A noose with only one side :-)
From the desk of Mr think :-)
Oct 14th, 2010 - 06:31 am 0My personal evaluation is that, thanks to the British haughtiness about the “Malvinas Issue”,the Islands case can be developed from a little forgotten pastoralist South Atlantic anecdote to an interesting, productive and winnable “South vs North” argument.”
Any one want to punt a few bob on the Argentinians denying her 'right of free passage' off the eastern entrance of Magallanes.... not going to happen.
Oct 14th, 2010 - 08:54 am 0Argentinian Navy... weak as piss and half as salty.
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