RM Commando Assault Squadrons - New Home - Ten (10) Armoured Offshore Raiding Craft from 539 Assault Squadron RM crossed Plymouth Sound as they completed the move from Turnchapel to the new £30m facilities at the RM Tamar complex at the northern end of Devonport Naval Base.     At the RM Tamar is now the home of the waterborne equipment of the RM Amphibious Forces – Landing Craft, Hovercraft, Offshore Raiding Craft and RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats)– all relocated from Turnchapel or Poole.      Once commonly referred to as ‘frigate alley’, Weston Mill Lake near Camel’s Head Gate is now the home of amphibious warfare.

The amphibious warfare assets of the Royal Marines can be summarised as under the control of 1 Assault Group RM, now Headquartered at RM Tamar are :-

·           4 Assault Squadron RM - landing craft support to BULWARK (Assault Ship)

·           6 Assault Squadron RM - landing craft support to ALBION (Assault Ship)

·           9 Assault Squadron RM - landing craft support to OCEAN (Helicopter Carrier)

·         539 Assault Squadron RM - amphibious support to 3 Commando Brigade RM

·          10 Landing Craft Training Squadron at RM Poole

·          11 Amphibious Trials and Training Unit RM (ATTURM) at Instow (North Devon)

·          Royal Navy Board and Search School, at HMS RALEIGH (Torpoint).

One building in the Tamar complex will serves as the Headquarters of both 539 Assault Squadron RM and 10 Landing Craft Training Squadron RM, whilst a second large building will house landing craft and mechanical transport engineering workshops, including hard standing available for landing craft storage.    A concrete slipway has replaced the drab, muddy rocky shore at Wilson’s Beach and will be used to launch and recover the Landing Craft Air Cushioned vehicles and small boats and landing craft.    Larger landing craft – the smaller ‘vehicle/personnel’ and the larger ‘utility’, (which can carry a CHALLENGER 2 tank) – will be hauled out of the water for storage and maintenance by a powerful new boat lift.   RM Tamar – which will be formally dedicated and opened at the beginning of August (2013) – will be home to around 300 personnel (plus up 132 throughout the year on courses) when they’ve all relocated to the dockyard later this year.