Operation Ellamy
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Operation Ellamy was the
codename A code name, codename, call sign, or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in ...
for the United Kingdom participation in the
2011 military intervention in Libya On 19 March 2011, a NATO-led coalition began a military intervention into the ongoing Libyan civil war (2011), Libyan Civil War to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 (UNSCR 1973). The UN Security Council passed the reso ...
. The operation was part of an international coalition aimed at enforcing a Libyan no-fly zone in accordance with the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
Resolution 1973 which stipulated that "all necessary measures" shall be taken to protect civilians. The coalition operation was designated by
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
as
Operation Unified Protector Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations United Nations Security Council, Security Council United Nations Security Council resolution, resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970, 1970 and ...
, by the US as Operation Odyssey Dawn. The Canadian participation as Operation Mobile and the French participation as Opération Harmattan. It was confirmed in December 2011 that the cost of the operations was £212m – less than was estimated, including £67m for replacing spent munitions, is all expected to be met from the Treasury reserve. The no-fly zone was proposed during the Libyan Civil War to prevent government forces loyal to
Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...
from carrying out air attacks on anti-Gaddafi forces. Several countries prepared to take immediate military action at a conference in Paris on 19 March 2011. The randomly generated codename, "Ellamy," is an alternative spelling of the Early Modern English word, Elami (E-la-mi), a musical solmisation designating the note E in the context of a tetrachord. The spelling "Ellamy" is found in a poem frequently attributed to John Skelton, "The Harmony of Birds".


Background to operation

The UN Security Council Resolution 1973 passed on the evening of 17 March 2011 gave a mandate to countries wishing to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya militarily. A conference involving international leaders took place in Paris on the afternoon of Saturday 19 March 2011. International military action commenced after the conference finished, with French military fighter jets being the first to participate in the operation only a few hours after the conference finished in Paris with the first shot fired at 1645 GMT against a Libyan tank.


Deployed forces

*
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
** , a
Type 42 destroyer The Type 42 or ''Sheffield'' class was a class of fourteen guided-missile destroyers that served in the Royal Navy.Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', , Ian Allan Ltd, 1989 A further two ships of this class were built for and ...
** , a
Type 22 frigate The Type 22 frigate also known as the ''Broadsword'' class was a ship class, class of frigates built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen were built in total, with production divided into three batches. Initially intended to be anti-submarine ...
** , a Type 23 frigate ** , a Type 23 frigate ** , a ** , a ** , a
Type 42 destroyer The Type 42 or ''Sheffield'' class was a class of fourteen guided-missile destroyers that served in the Royal Navy.Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', , Ian Allan Ltd, 1989 A further two ships of this class were built for and ...
** , in a maritime surveillance role ** () ** *** 2 x Lynx Mk 7 from Joint Helicopter Command *** 2 x Sea King Mk 4 from Joint Helicopter Command *** 1 x Lynx Mk 8 from 815 Naval Air Squadron *** 2 x Sea King Mk 7 from 857 Naval Air Squadron *
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
** Joint Force Air Component Headquarters at RAF Akrotiri ** Headquarters 906 Expeditionary Air Wing at Gioia del Colle Air Base *** 10 ×
Typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
multirole fighters from
RAF Coningsby Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and h ...
and RAF Leuchars, *** 16 × Tornado GR4 interdictor/strike aircraft from RAF Marham ** Headquarters 907 Expeditionary Air Wing at RAF Akrotiri *** 3 × Sentry AEW.1 AWACS aircraft from RAF Waddington *** 1 x Nimrod R1 signals intelligence aircraft *** 1 x Sentinel R1 airborne standoff radar aircraft from RAF Waddington *** 2 × VC10 air-to-air refuelling tankers from
RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton is the largest List of Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Air Force. Situated in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, it is close to the village of Brize Norton and the tow ...
** Force Elements Operated from UK *** Tornado GR4 interdictor/strike aircraft from RAF Marham *** TriStar K1 & KC1 air-to-air refuelling tankers from
RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton is the largest List of Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Air Force. Situated in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, it is close to the village of Brize Norton and the tow ...
*
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
** 4 x Apache AH1 (on board HMS ''Ocean''). ** 7 Signal Regiment Detachment ** 22 Signal Regiment Detachment * Elements of United Kingdom Special Forces


Summary of operation

;Day 1 – 19 March 2011 On the afternoon of the 19 March, the Royal Navy fired
Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...
cruise missiles. Alongside the US a reported combined total of 110 cruise missiles were fired during the first day of operations. The Royal Navy also had a
Type 22 frigate The Type 22 frigate also known as the ''Broadsword'' class was a ship class, class of frigates built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen were built in total, with production divided into three batches. Initially intended to be anti-submarine ...
''()'' and a Type 23 frigate ''()'' engaged in a naval blockade.
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, confirmed that British aircraft were in action over Libya on the 19 March, although it was the
French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
who made the first coalition aerial presence over Libya earlier the same day. E3D Sentry, Sentinel and VC-10 aircraft were said to be carrying out operations from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. On the night of the 19–20 March 2011, Storm Shadow missiles were launched by Tornado GR4 aircraft of No. 13 Squadron from RAF Marham, flying against targets in Libya. They required refuelling by British air to air refuelling aircraft three times en route to their targets and once on their return. ;Day 2 – 20 March 2011 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that Tornado and Typhoon fighters would be deployed to Italy at Gioia del Colle Air Base. Meanwhile, the submarine HMS ''Triumph'' launched further Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets in Libya. Tornados GR4s, flying from RAF Marham, aborted their mission, due to information being received, that suggested civilians were in the target areas. The Tornado aircraft returned to RAF Marham fully armed. ;Day 3 – 21 March 2011 The Prime Minister announced to the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
on the 21 March at the start of a debate on the United Nations Security Council resolution that RAF Typhoons had been deployed to an Italian airbase (Gioia del Colle) and would fly in support of the No-Fly Zone. Three Typhoons successfully conducted a mission and returned to Gioia del Colle. 906 Expeditionary Air Wing formed at Gioia del Colle Air Base and were responsible for assets forward deployed there. 907 Expeditionary Air Wing formed at RAF Akrotiri responsible for assets forward deployed there. C-17A Globemaster and
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
transport aircraft were also used to assist in the buildup of deployed forces. ;Day 4 – 22 March 2011 RAF Typhoons flew their first ever combat mission, patrolling the no-fly zone while Tornado GR4s from RAF Marham flew an armed reconnaissance mission. The MoD reported that Royal Navy ships ''Triumph'', ''Westminster'' and ''Cumberland'' remained in theatre for additional strikes and maritime patrol. ;Day 5 – 23 March 2011 Tornado GR4s forward deployed to Gioia del Colle Air Base. In a media interview, the UK Air Component Commander, Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell, stated that the Libyan Air Force "no longer exists as a fighting force" and that "we have the Libyan ground forces under constant observation and we attack them whenever they threaten civilians or attack population centres." ;Day 6 – 24 March 2011 HMS ''Triumph'' fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets in Libya. RAF Tornado aircraft on an armed reconnaissance mission fired Brimstone missiles against Libyan armoured vehicles that were reported to be threatening the civilian population of Ajdabiya. Four
T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...
tanks were destroyed in the attack by RAF Tornados, and three by another coalition aircraft. Likely target locations had previously been identified by other Tornado aircraft equipped with RAPTOR pods. ;Day 7 – 25 March 2011 RAF Tornado aircraft carried out Brimstone missile strikes, destroying three armoured vehicles in Misrata and two further armoured vehicles in Ajdabiya. ;Day 9 – 27 March 2011 RAF Tornados from Gioia del Colle launched numerous armed reconnaissance missions, during the course of which ordnance released hit a total of 22 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces in the vicinity of Ajdabiya and Misrata. ;Day 10 – 28 March 2011 Tornados from RAF Marham, supported by Tristar tanker aircraft from
RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton is the largest List of Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Air Force. Situated in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, it is close to the village of Brize Norton and the tow ...
, carried out Storm Shadow strikes against ammunition bunkers in the Sabha area in the southern Libyan desert. The bunkers were reportedly used to resupply Libyan Government troops attacking civilians in the north of the country. The Type 42 destroyer HMS ''Liverpool'' was deployed to the Mediterranean to relieve the Type 22 frigate ''Cumberland''. ;Day 11 – 29 March 2011 The London Conference on Libya was chaired by the Foreign Secretary,
William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...
. Two RAF Tornados flying from Gioia del Colle engaged a Libyan armoured fighting vehicle and two artillery pieces with Brimstone missiles near Misrata. ;Day 12 – 30 March 2011 RAF Tornados flying from Gioia del Colle engaged three Libyan tanks, two armoured fighting vehicles and a
surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...
site with Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV bombs in the vicinity of Misrata. was deployed to relieve HMS ''Cumberland''. ;Day 13 – 31 March 2011 From 06:00 GMT,
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
took sole command of air operations over Libya under
Operation Unified Protector Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations United Nations Security Council, Security Council United Nations Security Council resolution, resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970, 1970 and ...
, taking over from US Africa Command. ;Day 15 – 2 April 2011 HMS ''Triumph'' returned to base
HMNB Devonport His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roya ...
flying the Jolly Roger marking six successful Tomahawk launches. RAF Tornado aircraft launched Paveway IV bombs against pro-Gaddafi forces. Two main battle tanks in
Sirte Sirte (; , ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyal ...
and several small
ground-attack aircraft An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pres ...
at an airfield near Misrata were reportedly hit. ;Day 16 – 3 April 2011 RAF Tornados reportedly launched successful attacks with Paveway IV and Brimstone missiles against ten armoured fighting vehicles south of
Sirte Sirte (; , ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyal ...
. ;Day 17 – 4 April 2011 The number of Tornado aircraft taking part in Operation Ellamy was increased from eight to twelve on 4 April, with the aircraft deploying from RAF Marham. RAF Tornados, engaged in two separate strikes in the Libyan city of Sirte, launched three Brimstone missiles which destroyed one main battle tank and two surface-to-air missile launchers. ;Day 22 – 9 April 2011 Seven tanks were destroyed by RAF Tornado aircraft, two in Ajdabiya and five in Misrata, using Paveway IV bombs and Brimstone missiles. ;Day 23 – 10 April 2011 The MoD reported that over the weekend of 22–23 April, of a total of 61 armoured vehicles and air defence assets destroyed by NATO, 21 were destroyed by RAF aircraft. ;Day 25 – 12 April 2011 was declared available in theatre by the MoD for Tomahawk strikes should they be required. RAF Typhoon aircraft were used operationally in a ground attack role for the first time. A Typhoon destroyed two main battle tanks near Misrata with Paveway II whilst a Tornado destroyed the third with Paveway IV. In total, RAF aircraft destroyed eight main battle tanks on 12 April. From the start of Operation Ellamy up until 12 April, RAF aircraft had engaged over 100 main battle tanks, artillery pieces, armoured vehicles and SAMs. ;Day 31–18 April 2011 RAF Tornados and Typhoons attacked a pair of multiple rocket launcher vehicles and a light artillery piece reportedly firing on Misrata, as well as a
self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
and tank. HMS ''Triumph'' was reported by the MoD to have launched two salvoes of Tomahawk missiles against command and control facilities, alongside precision strikes by RAF Tornados, Typhoons and coalition aircraft. HMS ''Liverpool'' intercepted the vessel heading for Tripoli, conducting a boarding party search with
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
and finding trucks potentially of use to the Gaddafi regime. The merchant vessel was ordered to divert to
Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...
in Italy. ;Day 32 – 19 April 2011 The Foreign Secretary announced that a British Military Liaison Advisory Team would to be sent to
Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...
to advise the NTC on how to improve their military organisational structures, communications and logistics. ;Day 43 – 30 April 2011 destroyed a buoyant mine containing over of high explosive. Using her
sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...
and underwater mine disposal system, Seafox, the mine was destroyed from the entrance to Misrata harbour, making the waters safe for aid ships to enter. ;Day 49 – 6 May 2011 RAF Tornados attacked a site south of Sirte based on analysis of intelligence by RAF Tactical Imagery Wing. 20 FROG-7 launchers and a significant number of Scud canisters were reported as either completely or partially destroyed. RAF aircraft also destroyed one tank and two armoured vehicles in the area of Misrata and one mobile rocket launcher south of Tripoli. ;Day 55 – 12 May 2011 An RAF Typhoon was reported to have destroyed two Palmaria 155 mm howitzers near Sirte. While engaged in surveillance operations off the coast of the rebel-held Libyan city of Misrata, HMS ''Liverpool'' came under fire from a shore battery, making her the first Royal Navy warship to be deliberately targeted since the
Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
. HMS ''Liverpool'' had been tasked with other NATO warships, to intercept small, high-speed inflatable craft spotted approaching the port of Misrata, the type which had been used previously to lay mines in the entrance of the port. Libyan rocket artillery on the coast fired an inaccurate salvo of rockets at the ship. HMS ''Liverpool'' returned fire with her 4.5-inch main gun, silencing the shore battery, in the Royal Navy's first use of the weapon since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ;Day 59 – 16 May 2011 Royal Navy Tomahawk missiles reportedly fired from HMS ''Triumph'', and Paveway IV bombs released by RAF Tornado aircraft were reported to have struck intelligence agency buildings and a training base used by Colonel Gaddafi's Executive Protection Force. RN and RAF attacks were reported to have damaged or destroyed over 300 targets since the start of Operation Ellamy. ;Day 62 – 19/20 May 2011 RAF Tornado GR4s hit two s in Al Khums naval base and destroyed a facility in the dockyard constructing fast inflatable boats which Libyan forces had reportedly used to mine Misrata and attack vessels in the area. ;Day 63 – 20 May 2011 RAF aircraft destroyed five multiple rockets launchers around Tripoli. ;Day 67 – 24 May 2011 RAF aircraft attacked four armoured vehicles deployed near the Libyan city of Zlitan. An RAF Tornado attacked a Libyan coastal radar station near Brega, which was destroyed with a dual-mode seeker Brimstone missile. ;Day 68 – 25 May 2011 A vehicle depot at Tiji was attacked by a Typhoon FGR4 and a Tornado GR4 dropping four Enhanced Paveway II and five Paveway IV weapons between them. ;Day 70 – 27 May 2011 (detached from the Response Force Task Group COUGAR 11 deployment) deployed with a complement of four
Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...
helicopters to aid operations along with Sea King Mk7 ASaC helicopters which begin flying surveillance and reconnaissance sorties of Libyan coast, Misrata, Sirte, and Benghazi. ;Day 77 – 3 June 2011 Five ships from The Response Force Task Group were temporarily deployed from COUGAR 11 (an RFTG ship, HMS ''Ocean'', and her embarked Apache attack helicopters had been deployed days earlier) to supplement UK forces in Operation Ellamy. ;Day 102 – 28 June 2011 HMS ''Liverpool'' used her main gun to fire warning shots at pro-Gaddafi maritime forces moving along Libya's Mediterranean coast just west of the city of Misrata, amid concerns a threat was posed to civilians due to recent repeated attempts to mine the harbour. After initially ignoring the first shell, a further three were fired and the vessels were forced to return to their port of departure. ;Day 107 – 3 August 2011 Several rockets were fired at HMS ''Liverpool''. She returned fire with her 4.5-inch main gun. The attack came after the ship had fired a barrage of illumination rounds in support of an air attack on the stronghold of Zliten. ;Day 145 – 10 August 2011 RAF Tornados launched direct from RAF Marham in Norfolk to target command and control and air defence targets with Stormshadow cruise missiles. ;Day 151 – 16 August 2011 Since the start of military operations on 19 March, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and Army Air Corps precision strikes were reported to have damaged or destroyed some 870 former regime targets. HMS ''Liverpool'' was involved in the most intense shore-bombardment of the war. ''Liverpool'' had been tasked by a patrol aircraft to fire illumination rounds over the city of Zlitan. While conducting this mission, ''Liverpool'' came under fire from a Loyalist shore-battery. ''Liverpool'' responded by firing three rounds from her 4.5 inch gun, silencing the battery. Later on the same day, a patrol aircraft spotted a large pro-Gaddafi vehicle convoy carrying weapons and ammunition. ''Liverpool'' fired 54 shells from her 4.5-inch gun at the convoy, destroying or severely damaging many of the vehicles. During the ensuing chaos on the ground, NATO aircraft destroyed the remainder of the convoy. File:Apache Helicopter Takes off from HMS Ocean During Operation Ellamy MOD 45153052.jpg, Apache helicopter takes off from HMS ''Ocean'' during Operation Ellamy File:RAF Tornado GR4 Aircraft During Operation Ellamy MOD 45155728.jpg, RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft during Operation Ellamy File:RAF Tornados Destroying Libyan Radar Station MOD 45155735.jpg, RAF Tornados destroying Libyan radar station File:Tornado GR4 Attack on Libyan SCUD Launcher MOD 45155729.jpg, Tornado GR4 attack on Libyan SCUD launcher File:RAF Hercules C130 Delivers Stores for Operation Ellamy MOD 45152556.jpg, RAF C-130 Hercules delivers stores for Operation Ellamy


Notes


References


External links


Operation Ellamy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellamy, Operation Foreign intervention in the Libyan civil war (2011) International security No-fly zone operations 2011 in the United Kingdom Military operations involving the United Kingdom 21st-century Royal Air Force deployments Libya–United Kingdom military relations