Royal Marines have stormed Browndown Beach, Gosport, as part of an exercise demonstrating their amphibious capability.
More than 80 Royal Marines from 40 Commando based in Taunton, supported by troops and hardware from 29 Commando Royal Artillery, 24 Commando Royal Engineers, King’s Royal Hussars and Royal Dragoon Guards, came ashore in a dramatic display that attracted the attention of dogwalkers and beachgoers alike.
The exercise – Browndown Battle II – started nearly 24 hours earlier in the waters south of the Isle of Wight with Royal Navy flagship, HMS Bulwark, an Albion-class assault ship, supported by Type 23 Frigate, HMS Argyll and RFA Black Rover – a small fleet tanker in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Ships were attacked by ‘enemy’ aircraft and bombarded the Hampshire coastline with high explosive shells from HMS Argyll’s 4.5” gun before the Task Group moved closer in.
From an anchorage in the Solent, Royal Marine Commandos made swift use of Bulwark’s 8 landing craft to go ashore in Viking amphibious vehicles and a Challenger II tank, supported by Merlin helicopters from 28 Squadron RAF to neutralise the ‘enemy’.
Browndown Battle II was staged as part of the Advanced Command and Staff Course for over 350 UK and international military students, for them to experience and evaluate the breadth of the Royal Navy’s capabilities within a joint operational environment.
