The Royal Navy’s head of training Rear Admiral Clive Johnstone leaves the South West after seeing through major changes. As Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) he oversees the famous realistic weekly ‘Thursday War’ training exercise off the South West Coast which prepares ships for operations worldwide
North Devon MP Sir Nick Harvey visited Barnstaple based engineering firm J+S Ltd on April 26th and cut the ribbon to open their newly refurbished offices and reception area. The reception area has been expanded significantly in order that the company can permanently exhibit their increasing product
Crew members from HMS Illustrious had a very different type of run ashore in Dublin during a recent visit. A team of over 20 runners from the amphibious helicopter carrier competed in the Dublin 10 km night run last weekend. The event, organised by Tourism Ireland, took 5,700 runners on a circuit of
Portsmouth-based Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ledbury sails on Tuesday (May 7) for a four-month NATO mission in the Mediterranean. She will be working as part of a permanent multinational maritime force in the area known as Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). The group works througho
The light transport ship ‘El Camino Español’ arrived at Valencia from Beirut with a cargo of vehicles that have participated in operation ‘Libre Hidalgo’ in Lebanon. Most of them are BMR armored vehicles which have been replaced by the new MLV ‘Lince’. Surplus materiel as a consequence of the decrea
The flagship of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), NRP Alvares Cabral has conducted a fast-rope insertion exercise on a World Food Programme (WFP) vessel, providing the opportunity for Portuguese sailors to meet their Finnish colleagues embarked on the WFP ship as an Autonomous Vessel Protection Detach
A key milestone has been marked with the delivery by Babcock of the final major component of the Integrated Waste Management System (IWMS) for the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. The last of the six Waste Water Treatment Plants was delivered in April following successful Factory Accepta
Divers from minehunter HMS Middleton swapped England’s south coast for the warm waters of Gibraltar for a week of high-tempo training. The five-strong team made full use of the facilities on the Rock, practising search techniques, helping stricken divers, lifting mines from the seabed and carrying o
Five Royal Navy sailors from HMS Sutherland have left Invergordon – where the ship is currently in port – to try and find their way back to their home port of Plymouth. They have just their wits, charm and leadership skills to rely on – no mobiles, no money, no credit cards… and, worse still, [&hell
The Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship, HMS Bulwark, will arrive in North Shields for a week-long visit, during which her ship’s company will cement the already strong relationship with affiliated County Durham. HMS Bulwark is playing a lead role in the forthcoming Battle of Atlantic 70th anniversary comme
The Royal Navy’s HMS Charger will visit Northwich this Saturday and Sunday (May 4-5), taking her more than 20 miles inland – rather an unusual place to find one of the UK’s maritime fighting force. HMS Charger is the Universities Royal Naval Unit patrol vessel for Liverpool and Lancaster universitie
Protecting World Food Programme (WFP) shipments to Somalia is a core task for EU Naval Force Somalia; ensuring the safe transportation of humanitarian aid to the Somali people. In 2013, WFP aims to bring humanitarian assistance to an estimated population of 1.56 million in Somalia. Since the beginni
