These 55 ships are participating in a massive NATO naval exercise off of Scotland

A total of 55 ships from 14 NATO countries are participating in a massive naval exercise off the coast of Scotland.

The UK-led Exercise Joint Warrior 15-1 started on April 11 and will run until April 24. The exercise features 55 ships, 70 aircraft and approximately 13,000 military personnel from 14 participating NATO countries.

To visualize the scope and size of the exercise, CI Geography and Bosphorus Naval News have released the following graphic of the ships taking part in the exercise:

CIGeography

The exercises are meant to provide the NATO countries with the training and experience necessary for scenarios such as small-boat attacks, antisubmarine warfare, and maneuverability exercises - all of which have become a lot more urgent for regional militaries in light of the past year's spate of Russian naval and air incursions into NATO territory.