Stephen M.'s photos with the keyword: military

One of two AW-159 Wildcats that flew over Sunderland. As the screenshot in the PIP shows, the helicopters flew in from some distance offshore, possibly from a ship? The flight returned eastwards out to sea about half an hour later. The AW-159 is an upgraded version of the famous Lynx helicopter and is used by the British Army Air Corps and Royal Navy.

Unfortunately staying well offshore in poor light, it was still interesting to see the HMS Mersey passing by off Sunderland. Commissioned in 2003, the ship is a River-class offshore patrol vessel with the Royal Navy.

Lurking in the mist - the Portuguese Navy frigate 'Bartolomeu Dias' on the way to Plymouth naval base from the Port of Tyne. Constructed in 1990 for the Dutch Navy (as 'HLNMS Van Nes'), it was transferred to the Portuguese Navy in 2009. The new name honours the navigator Bartolomeu Dias, who was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa in 1488. Note also the open door on Roker lighthouse - maintenance work is ongoing on the building.

A Lockheed C-130J Hercules (Registration: ZH868) makes a low pass over Roker Pier. The transport plane was on a training mission from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. Newspaper report: www.sunderlandecho.com/news/people/why-raf-hercules-plane-was-spotted-flying-low-in-sunderland-soaring-over-roker-and-seaburn-4071461 Based on data from FR24.com, the plane was flying about 100 metres asl at the time. The cargo ship 'Arklow View' is anchored in the background. PIP #1: Screenshot from FR24 showing flight path of the 'Herc' around Newcastle and Sunderland.

The HMS Explorer is the second Archer-class patrol vessel of the Royal Navy to visit Sunderland in the last month. Built by Vosper Thornycroft in 1986, it is virtually identical to HMS Archer that visited in early February 2023. HMS Explorer currently serves as part of the Universities Royal Naval Unit (URNU) and is used to train officer cadets at sea. The recruits come from the Universities of Hull, Sheffield and Leeds. PIP #1: HMS Explorer passing Roker lighthouse.

The Irish naval vessel William Butler Yeats (P63) sailing past Sunderland, with Roker lighthouse in the foreground. The WBY was commissioned in 2016 and is the newest vessel in the Irish Naval Service (An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh). Sadly the light was already fading resulting in a less than optimal photo of an unusual visitor to the region.