;Day 1 – 19 March 2011 On the afternoon of the 19 March, the Royal Navy fired
Tomahawk 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 () and a
Type 23 frigate () engaged in a
naval blockade.
David Cameron, 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 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. 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. ;Day 3 – 21 March 2011 The Prime Minister announced to the
House of Commons 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 transport aircraft were also used to assist in the buildup of deployed forces. 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 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 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, 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. ;Day 11 – 29 March 2011 The London Conference on Libya was chaired by the Foreign Secretary,
William Hague. 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 site with Brimstone missiles and
Paveway IV bombs in the vicinity of Misrata. was deployed to relieve HMS
Cumberland. ;Day 15 – 2 April 2011 HMS
Triumph returned to base
HMNB Devonport 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 and several small
ground-attack aircraft 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. 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 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. 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. ;Day 32 – 19 April 2011 The Foreign Secretary announced that a British Military Liaison Advisory Team would to be sent to
Benghazi 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 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. 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 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 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 ==