Ministry of Defence (Navy): Operational Evaluation Group and Submarine Tactics and...

Ministry of Defence (Navy): Operational Evaluation Group and Submarine Tactics and Weapons Group, and Joint Anti-Submarine School (JASS): Reports and Notes

Reports and notes from the Royal Navy Operational Evaluation Group (initially an anti-submarine warfare unit but later involved in Fleet-wide tactical development and weapons evaluation), from the Joint Anti-Submarine School (JASS) which administered it, and from the Submarine Tactics and Weapons Group (STWG) which was formed to take over submarine tactical development and in-service tactical weapon firing evaluations.

Some of the acronyms used within this series are: ASW (anti-submarine warfare); AUTEC (Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center); ECM (electronic countermeasures); MATCH (Medium-range Anti-submarine Torpedo Carrying Helicopter); PASSEX (Passing Exercise); SSK (conventional submarine); SSN (nuclear submarine); VECTAC (vectored attack).

From 2004 Ministry of Defence

Topics

Weapons

Navy

Armed Forces (General Administration)

The Joint Anti-Submarine School (JASS) was established as HMS Sea Eagle in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, shortly after the end of the Second World War to teach tactical doctrine and conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises. In about 1956 the RAF started to analyse aircraft ASW exercises and as this initiative blossomed, Royal Navy (RN) officers joined to analyse ship and submarine ASW exercises. In 1961 a joint RN/RAF Operational Evaluation Group (OEG) was set up as an autonomous analysis group, administered by JASS.

In 1969 the RAF detached from the OEG to form a NIMROD evaluation staff in the Long Range Maritime Patrol cell under the Central Tactics and Trials Organization (CTTO) at Northwood, Middlesex. OEG continued as an RN group, OEG(RN), at Londonderry until 1970 when HMS Sea Eagle closed. OEG then moved to Northwood, still primarily an ASW unit, under the control first of the Directorate of Naval Surface Weapons (DNSW) and, later, the Directorate of Naval Warfare (DNW). In January 1972 it came under the control of CINCFLEET (Commander-in-Chief, Fleet) and its interests became Fleet-wide. It remained as OEG(RN) until about 1984 when, following lessons learned from the Falklands Campaign, it was reformed with some changes as the Fleet Operational Analysis Staff (FOAS). In 1984 FOAS moved to Fort Blockhouse, Gosport, as part of the Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC).

Throughout the period, the work of OEG and its successors was mainly on tactical development and weapons evaluation. Up to 1974, OEG(RN)'s work covered naval air, surface-ship and some submarine topics served by a small pro-submarine team.

Meanwhile the Submarine Tactical Development Group (STDG) was formed in 1966 at the Clyde Submarine Base, Faslane. In 1974, the Submarine Tactics and Weapons Group (STWG) was formed from STDG and a weapons trial group, to take over submarine tactical development and in-service tactical weapon firing evaluations. STWG was split in late-1994, the tactical development part joining the MWC at Gosport and the weapon evaluation part now termed the Submarine Weapons Group remaining at Faslane.

The Joint Anti-Submarine School (JASS) was disbanded in 1971 and replaced by the Joint Maritime Operational Training Staff, based initially at RAF Turnhouse in Scotland but moved to Northwood Joint Headquarters in 1996.