Operation Ellamy

Operation Ellamy
Part of 2011 military intervention in Libya

RAF Tornado GR4 attacks a warship in Al Khums naval base, 20 May 2011
Date19 March – 31 October 2011
Location
Libya
Result

British victory

Belligerents
 United Kingdom  Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Elizabeth II
United Kingdom David Cameron
United Kingdom Liam Fox
United Kingdom Philip Hammond
AM Sir Stuart Peach (CJO)[2]
Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell (Air)[2]
Rear Admiral Ian Corder (Maritime)[2]		 Libya Muammar Gaddafi †
(De facto Commander-in-Chief)
Libya Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr †
(Minister of Defence)
Libya Khamis al-Gaddafi †
(Khamis Brigade Commander)
Libya Ali Sharif al-Rifi
(Air Force Commander)
Strength
1 helicopter carrier
2 destroyers
3 frigates
2 mine hunters
2 submarines
10 multirole fighters
16 strike fighters
3 AWACS
1 signals intelligence plane
4 attack helicopters		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
None 200 tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery pieces, & SAMs destroyed[3][4]
(until 12 April)
1 corvette destroyed
1 corvette damaged

Operation Ellamy[5] was the codename for the United Kingdom participation in the 2011 military intervention in Libya.[6] The operation was part of an international coalition aimed at enforcing a Libyan no-fly zone in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 which stipulated that "all necessary measures" shall be taken to protect civilians.[7] The coalition operation was designated by NATO as Operation Unified Protector, by the US as Operation Odyssey Dawn.[8][9] The Canadian participation as Operation Mobile[10] and the French participation as Opération Harmattan.[11] 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.[12]

The no-fly zone was proposed during the Libyan Civil War to prevent government forces loyal to Muammar 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.[13]

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.[14] The spelling "Ellamy" is found in a poem frequently attributed to John Skelton, "The Harmony of Birds".

  1. ^ Cohen, Tom (20 March 2011). "Mullen: No-fly zone effectively in place in Libya". CNN. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference MoDLibyaupdate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference mod.uk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference LibyanAirForceNeutered was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "LIBYA: Operation ELLAMY: Questions and Answers". Ministry of Defence.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference opscontinue was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Security Council authorizes 'all necessary measures' to protect civilians in Libya". United Nations. un.org. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  8. ^ "DOD News Briefing by Vice Adm. Gortney on Operation Odyssey Dawn". U.S. Department of Defense. 19 March 2011.
  9. ^ Rawnsley, Adam (21 March 2011). "What's in a Name? 'Odyssey Dawn' Is Pentagon-Crafted Nonsense". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Operation MOBILE: National Defence and Canadian Forces Response to the Situation in Libya". forces.gc.ca. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Libya : French air operations begin". defense.gouv.fr. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Hammond says UK not seeking 'perfect Afghanistan'". BBC News. 8 December 2011.
  13. ^ Judd, Terri (19 March 2011). "Operation Ellamy: Designed to strike from air and sea". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  14. ^ Bradley, Henry; Craigie, William A.; Murray, James Augustus Henry (1891). "Elami". A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles. Vol. 3. Oxford: Clarendon. p. 68.