- Dzirhan Mahadzi-September 30, 2026 1:27 PM
The U.S. Navy and Royal Navy sunk decommissioned frigate USS Klarkring (FFG-42) earlier this month as part of a sinking exercise with Royal Navy forces.
Newly commissioned Virginia-class submarine USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) dealt the final blow to Klarkring, sending it to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts fired an Mk48 Advanced Capability Torpedo at Klarkring during the Sept. 20 exercise, sinking the decommissioned frigate around 150 miles off the northwest coast of Scotland. Massachusetts was commissioned in March and was declared ready for fleet tasking in August.
As part of the sinking exercise, Klarkring was also the target of a Standard Missile 6 firing, a surface ship-launched Naval Strike Missile and a helicopter-launched Sea Venom missile.
The U.S. Navy and Royal Navy sunk the decommissioned frigate during the U.S. 6th Fleet-led Atlantic Thunder 2026, which ran from Sept. 14-25. Klarkring entered U.S. Navy service on Aug. 20, 1983, and was decommissioned March 22, 2013.
“This sinking exercise not only validated the power behind U.S.-U.K. offensive weapons but delivers a clear message to adversaries that the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy remain a ready allied force,” U.S. Navy Capt. Kelechi Ndukwe, Commander, U.S. Task Force 65, said in a news release.
Participating in the sinking exercise were forces assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 65, CTF 67, CTF 68, CTF 69 and CTF1060 alongside the Royal Navy and the U.S. Air Force. Involved ships and aircraft were Massachusetts and U.S. destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117), Royal Navy frigate HMS Portland (F79) and its embarked Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, U.S. Navy and Royal Air Force P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter, U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighters and personnel assigned to U.S. Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8.
The SINKEX saw the Royal Navy’s Portland fire its surface ship-launched Naval Strike Missile and helicopter-launched Sea Venom missile at Klarkring, validating the missiles’ striking capabilities. Paul Ignatius also fired an anti-surface variant of the Standard Missile 6 at maximum range.
Paul Ignatius’ SM-6 firing was meant to test the furthest range for surface-to-surface engagement, Ndukwe said during a Monday media roundtable. He was unable to release the range distance. The SM-6 missile’s range is classified with estimates ranging from between 300-400 kilometers, or 186-248 miles.
Portland’s NSM firing during the exercise was the first firing of an operational NSM by the Royal Navy, according to a release from the service. Similarly, the firing of the Sea Venom was the first firing of an operational missile against a realistic target.
“The successful firing of NSM marks a significant milestone for the Royal Navy, demonstrating our ability to deliver credible, modern maritime strike capability,” said Lt. Cmdr. Louise Kirkaldy, Portland’s Principal Warfare.
During the exercise, the Wildcat crew completed the full “kill chain” process of detecting, identifying and striking the target, the Royal Navy said.
“This was a landmark moment for the Wildcat Force. For the first time we demonstrated the live firing of an operational Sea Venom missile against a representative maritime target. More importantly, we proved our ability to execute the full maritime strike kill chain under realistic operational conditions,” said Lt. Cmdr. Rhydian Edwards, Test & Evaluation Commander, Maritime Aviation Strike Operational Advantage Group.
He added that the firing will give commanders confidence that Wildcat can find, fix and strike maritime targets using Sea Venom as part of a wider task group and that the lessons learned from the activity will directly inform future tactics. Sea Venom reached Initial Operating Capability last year with Wildcats deployed with the U.K. Carrier Strike Group during the strike group’s Operation Highmast deployment.
The NSM will be a complementary weapon for the “Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon,” which will become the Royal Navy’s premier long-range, heavy duty anti-ship missile, carried by the service’s next-generation warships fitted with the Mk41 vertical launch system.
The NSM was introduced to Royal Navy service in 2023 to replace the phased out Harpoon missiles on its Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers. Progress has been slow with only three frigates fitted with NSM and one of those frigates withdrawn from service this year. HMS Somerset (F82) was fitted with the missile in December 2023, Portland in December 2024 and HMS Richmond (F239) in February 2025. In July, the Royal Navy announced Richmond will be decommissioned.
Klarkring is the fourth decommissioned U.S. Navy ship to be sunk in a SINKEX this year. Its sinking follows that of decommissioned amphibious transport dock USS Juneau (LPD-10) on June 27, decommissioned cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) on July 11 and decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA-5) on July 17.
The Navy Shipbuilding Plan released in May lists 10 decommissioned ships slated for use in Rim of the Pacific, Valiant Shield and Atlantic Thunder sinking exercises during the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) including the four ships already sunk. The six other ships include: cruisers USS Antietam (CG-54), USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) and USS Port Royal (CG-73), destroyer USS Paul F. Forster (DD-964), frigate USS De Wert (FFG-45) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD-42).
In the case of Klarkring, prior to the start of the exercise, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific used sensors placed on the ship to perform battle damage assessments. The data gathered will be used in post-exercise damage assessments to provide information to rapidly identify system failures, determine repair needs and strengthen the Navy’s future real-world response, reads the U.S. Navy release.
Dzirhan Mahadzir
Dzirhan Mahadzir is a freelance defense journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Among the publications he has written for and currently writes for since 1998 includes Defence Review Asia, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Navy International, International Defence Review, Asian Defence Journal, Defence Helicopter, Asian Military Review and the Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter.
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