We haven't seen any Royal Navy ships in the Sound for some time, so the Dutch, being really nice people, sent over some of their naval ships instead.
Leading the flotilla was the very smart A902,
HNLMS Van Kinsbergen, a training vessel which also acts as a survey and patrol ship.
HNLMS Mercuur, A900, followed close behind. She's a submarine support and torpedo recovery ship.
As the parade continued, so the weather deteriorated. The third ship was M863,
HNLMS Vlaardingen, a minesweeper, followed by....
M862,
HNLMS Zierikzee, another minesweeper. By this time the rain was so heavy the camera had difficulty focusing on her. She's seen here passing Ardmore Point beacon and a creel fishing boat.
Apparently, the four ships are on their way to visit Dublin but they were thoughtful enough to drop in on Kilchoan first. Many thanks to the Dutch Navy for cheering us up on what has otherwise been a rather dank day.
More about the ships and their Dublin visit here.
Thanks for the information about the Dutch Ships. I saw one of them as they past down the Sound when I was driving up to Salen but could not identify them is the poor visibility.
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