Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Ghana Navy (GN) has announced that it is teaming up with the Ghana Army and the Air Force (GHF), to conduct Exercise Sea Lion 2024, which would see the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) crossing the Equator, to touch the Centre of the Earth at Longitude and Latitude 0ᵒ, from 18 to 24 March, 2024.
Making the announcement at the 2-day 2024 Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Annual Conference, the CNS of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Rear Admiral (R/Adm) Issah Adam Yakubu said the exercise will be used to showcase Ghana as the country closest to the Centre of the Earth, and to boost tourism in the country.
The Ghana Navy has held its old tradition of ‘Crossing the Equator’, better still known as ‘Crossing the Line’ for over 4 decades, however, navigating to Longitude 0 Latitude 0, would be new in contemporary times, and thus expected to draw quite some tourists’ interests.
The last Ex Sealion was held on Monday 26 to Thursday 29 October 2020, to test the resilience and readiness of Ghana Navy Ship (GNS) YAA ASANTEWAA, GNS GARINGA, GNS EHWOR, GNS BLIKA, and 229 personnel which included 7 females on board, during the tenure of Vice Admiral Seth Amoama (Rtd) as CNS.
Admiral Yakubu stated that this time round, the military will make way for a lot of civilians who are willing to participate in the exercise to so do, and that he, as the CNS, will be making the historic trip too.
Providing a few details of Ex SEALION ’24, he said when participants are returning from the Centre of the Earth, then will the military embark on some operational activities, such as manoeuvres, amphibian landing exercises of the Army.
He hinted that the Army has already tasked its Special Operations Brigade (ASOB), to collaborate with the Navy and Air Force, in using their appropriate assets, in landing the Special Operations Forces, to support the operations.
At the last Ex SEALION, four Ghana Navy Ships sailed 610 nautical miles, which is about 65 hours to and from the equator in different formations, performed search & rescue and maritime interdiction exercises, rounding it up with a joint amphibious exercise with the Ghana Army, GN’s Special Boat Squadron, and the GHF.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
