US and UK Forces Sink Decommissioned Warship in Exercise Off Scotland

A decommissioned American warship, the USS Klakring, was sunk in a joint U.S.-U.K. training exercise off the coast of Scotland. The 138-meter vessel was struck by missiles from the USS Paul Ignatius and a torpedo from the USS Massachusetts as part of Exercise Atlantic Thunder 2026.

The exercise, a joint live-firing drill involving U.S. and U.K. armed forces, also included participation from HMS Portland, which fired a naval strike missile, and its accompanying Wildcat helicopter, which launched Sea Venom missiles. The Royal Navy also tested 'ship-busting' weapons during the event.

Sink Exercise

The USS Klakring, decommissioned in 2013, had been stored at the Philadelphia Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility before being towed to Campbeltown, Scotland, in preparation for the exercise. The vessel is believed to have sunk approximately 6,000 feet to the seabed in the North Atlantic on the Monday prior to the article's publication, about 170 miles off the Outer Hebrides.

Atlantic Thunder 2026 was designed to validate Surface Warfare kill chains, build resilient kill webs, and deliver strategic messaging through kinetic demonstrations. Described as a 'sinkex,' or sink-at-sea live-fire training exercise, the drill aims to assess new tactics and provide real-world experience with long-range missile strikes at sea.

Under U.S. environmental regulations, any environmentally hazardous materials must be removed from vessels prior to deep-water sinkings. Such exercises are conducted at least 50 nautical miles from land in water depths of nearly 1,900 meters or more.

Training Objectives

Lieutenant Commander Louise Kirkaldy, HMS Portland's principal warfare officer, stated that the successful firing of the Naval Strike Missile marked a significant milestone for the Royal Navy, demonstrating its capability to deliver modern maritime strike power. Commander Dafydd Bryden, Commanding Officer of HMS Portland, added that the opportunity to fire anti-ship missiles against a decommissioned warship was an important test of warfighting capability, proving the effectiveness of the systems and the personnel who operate them.

Lieutenant Commander Paul Atkins, UK Lead Project Officer for Atlantic Thunder, highlighted that the exercise demonstrated the enduring strength of the UK-U.S. alliance and the close partnership between the Royal Navy and the United States Navy. He noted the seamless integration, shared expertise, and the delivery of a highly capable, interoperable maritime force operating in a demanding environment.