U.S. Navy Sinks Decommissioned Frigate Off Scotland In Joint Missile Exercise

The U.S. Navy has sunk a decommissioned American frigate off Scotland during a joint military exercise with the UK.

The USS Klakring was hit by a missile fired from the U.S. destroyer USS Paul Ignatius during Exercise Atlantic Thunder 2026. Royal Navy ships and aircraft also took part.

The exercise was held at the Ministry of Defence’s Hebrides range, west of the Outer Hebrides. The U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa released video showing the missile hitting and destroying the former frigate.

The exercise was meant to give military personnel more practice in long-range missile strikes and allow U.S. and British forces to train together.

The U.S. military described Atlantic Thunder as a “multi-domain exercise designed to validate surface weapon kill chains, build resilient kill webs and deliver strategic messaging through kinetic demonstration”.

The USS Klakring was decommissioned in 2013. It had been kept at the Philadelphia Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) since then.

The ship was towed down the Delaware River on August 12 before being prepared for its journey across the Atlantic.

It was first taken to Campbeltown in Scotland. Hazardous materials were removed from the frigate before it was taken offshore and sunk.

The sinking had been planned as the main part of Atlantic Thunder. British and American forces worked together during the operation.

The exercise was originally planned for May but was delayed by four months.

According to the UK Defence Journal, the video showed USS Paul Ignatius firing the missile that hit the USS Klakring. Other ships and aircraft were also involved, but details of their individual roles were not provided.

It is not clear why the U.S. Navy chose the USS Klakring for the exercise.

The decision comes at a time when the Royal Navy is sending some of its own decommissioned frigates to Turkey for scrapping.

HMS Northumberland was towed out of Plymouth earlier this month as part of that programme.

The USS Klakring had been out of service for more than a decade before it was brought to Scotland for the exercise.

HMS Queen Elizabeth’s role 

The role of the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the exercise is also unclear.

The Royal Navy has previously said its training programme for the carrier will continue into next year. This will include participation in major NATO exercises.

The programme is aimed at preparing HMS Queen Elizabeth to take over from HMS Prince of Wales as the UK’s flagship and high-readiness strike carrier in late 2027.

Captain Claire Thompson, the carrier’s commanding officer, previously said that sailing with an embarked battle staff was important for training and working together as a team.

She said the training was also helping the crew regain the skills needed for safe and effective aviation operations.

References: thenational, heraldscotland