Fourteen countries, 30 ships, 52 aircraft and a massive expanse of water for one of the largest naval exercises of the year – Baltops 2014 is now underway. It started late last week in Karlskrona, Sweden, and by the time Baltops (Baltic Operations 2014) finishes on 20 June more than 100 serials wi
Friday 13th June saw the hand over of the Commandant General Royal Marines from Major General Ed Davis, CBE to Major General Martin Smith, MBE. The handover ceremony took place in the Commandant Generals Courtyard at Commando Training Centre Royal Marines and was witnessed by Commanding Officers a
The Royal UK Navy nuclear-powered submarine HMS Tireless is due to be officially retired from active service at a ceremony in Plymouth on Thursday (June 19). The nuclear-powered Trafalgar Class submarine returned to her base-port of Devonport, in Plymouth, for the last time on June 1 before decomm
The Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne, has announced recently that a new contract to design and manufacture future anti-surface guided weapons (light) (FASGW(L)) missiles will protect more than 60 jobs at the Thales factory in Belfast. The contract will sustain a
The UK Navy’s new helicopter has paid its first visit to HMS Illustrious – dropping in on the veteran carrier during a submarine hunting exercise off Cornwall. Wildcat, which will replace the long-serving Lynx on the front line from next year, touched down on Lusty in the middle of Exercise Deep Blu
Sailors from HMS Clyde joined other protectors of the Falkland Islands as the remote British territory marked the 32nd anniversary of its liberation. The ship’s company took part in a memorial service and parade, and hosted veterans of the 1982 conflict on Liberation Day in the islands’ capital, S
The guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) participated in a bilateral underway engagement with the Tunisian Navy’s Patrol Ship 501 La Galite and an Archangel-class patrol boat, June 14. The engagement provided an opportunity to enhance U.S.-Tunisian interoperability and strengthe
Sailors aboard USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) participated in a gunnery exercise with German navy ship, FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (F218), as one of many events during Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2014, June 13. A Naval Gunnery Target balloon (NavTGT) served as the exercise target. Sailors fired shots f
After a ten day work-up on-board HMS Illustrious around the Cornish coast, the Merlin Carrier Air Group (MCAG) prepare to “Go Deep” as they sail westwards out into the Atlantic in pursuit of Submarines. Exercise Deep Blue has so far seen the Merlin Mk 2s from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose put t
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) arrived at Naval Station Rota, Spain to begin her forward deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, June 16. Ross, departed Norfolk, Va., June 3, and is the second of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to
The F-100 frigates ‘Álvaro de Bazán’, ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’, ‘Blas de Lezo’ and ‘Méndez Núñez’ from the 31st Escort Squadron have participated in a series of exercises off the Galician coast from the 9th to the 13th of June. The goal was to enhance training on anti-air warfare, operations wit
The president of the Republic of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, visited the ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ on June 9th during the scheduled port of call of the training ship in Ireland. The ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ had arrived on Saturday 7th from New York and berthed at Sir John Rogersons’ Quay in th
