Royal Marines boat to ‘wreak havoc’ as Russia threat grows
THE ROYAL Marines have unveiled a vessel to boost the Commandos in the face of the threat from Russia.
After two decades’ service with the Royal Marines, the Offshore Raiding Craft (ORC), used as a quick way of moving troops from ship to shore, has been redesigned as a Commando Raiding Craft (CRC) that enables those on board to launch drones and travel at an increased speed.
A defence source said the revamp of the craft showed a “wider investment in the Commando Force to meet future threats”. It comes after the Royal Navy announced Britain’s Commando forces were to undergo a transformation to face future threats across the globe.
Greater use of armed unmanned surveillance systems, long-range precision weapons and “bubbles” of secure communications were expected to be at the core of the force.
The Ministry of Defence said the CRC, which is already deployed on operations in the Mediterranean, had been given the overhaul to “meet the demands of the Commandos in the mid21st century”. It said this involved returning to their Second World War raiding roots, which involved coastal landings behind enemy lines, “with small teams wreaking havoc on enemy infrastructure and systems”.
Plymouth-based 47 Commando, the amphibious warfare experts of the
Commando Force, will be at the lead of the CRC wherever it deploys.
Col William Norcott, the unit’s commanding officer, said: “The CRC is multi-purpose and more supportive of the Commando Force model, working in small disaggregated teams that are structured to deliver a lethal punch.”