US Navy ships centered around the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) returned to US 6th Fleet operations after completing a four day port visit to Souda Bay, Crete, May 23-27. The aircraft carrier docked at the US naval base in Souda Bay while Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Bulkeley do
While the US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier already made its milestone first F/A-18F Super Hornet catch at sea with the advanced arresting gear (AAG) system in June last year, the USS Gerald R. Ford is yet to be declared capable of operating a full carrier air wing. The AAG is a next-generation syst
Australian shipbuilder Austal on May 30 announced that the first of overall 21 Pacific Patrol Boats was launched after officially starting construction in April 2017. The first vessel in the class is scheduled for delivery to Papua New Guinea in late October 2018. The boats are also known as the Gua
The US Navy’s newest amphibious transport dock ship, USS Portland (LPD 27), arrived in Pearl Harbor May 29 for combat systems ship qualification trials. During its time in the 3rd Fleet, the ship is also scheduled to take part in the large international exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC). Portland
Ship husbanding company Inchcape Shipping Services Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries have agreed to pay $2o million to settle a US case in which they were accused of knowingly overbilling the US Navy for their services, the US Department of Justice announced May 29. Inchcape is a UK-headquartere
The Royal Australian Navy is looking to enhance the role of its naval reserve as it works on ways of growing its future workforce. The navy says plans are underway to further integrate the part-time and full-time elements of the navy. Since its formation in 1911, the naval reserve has transformed nu
A team of Australian scientists will be evaluating the possibility of using UV technology in the fight against biofouling which slows ships down and increases their fuel consumption. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the Australian Department of Defence Science and Technology (DS
Royal Australian Navy sailors will have to be more careful on shore leaves in the future as the navy is reportedly starting a crackdown on drunken sailors in foreign ports. According to a report by the Australian ABC, the navy has issued a new fleet directive which includes curfews and mandatory bre
Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Victoria pulled into the Haifa port on May 25 for her first ever visit to Israel. The 31-year-old Santa Maria-class frigate arrived in Haifa together with Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan for a weekend port call. The two ships are currently deployed to NATO’s Standin
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Melbourne departed her home port of Fleet Base East bound to start a seven month deployment to the South West Pacific and North East Asia. Melbourne’s deployment will include participation in the second iteration of Indo-Pacific Endeavour, exercise Kakadu in Austra
US Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) got underway from Yokosuka, Japan, for patrols and operations in the western Pacific Ocean. The carrier departed Japan May 29 together with the accompanying carrier strike group composed of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile dest
The Indian Navy received its first indigenously designed and constructed FDN-2 (Floating Dock Navy) in a ceremony on May 25 at Port Blair. The induction ceremony was conducted as per naval traditions and was witnessed by senior officers from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. Equipped with a
The Russian Navy’s second Project 11711 landing ship ‘Petr Morgunov’ was launched in the Baltic Sea city of Kaliningrad on May 25. The ceremony was held at the main shipyard of the Yantar shipyard The launch of Peter Morgunov comes shortly after the Russian Navy announced that the lead ship in the c
The upcoming flagship NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2018 is expected to be one of the largest ever with 40,000 personnel, around 120 aircraft and as many as 70 ships converging this fall in Norway. Compared to the 2015 edition of the exercise which was said to be “the largest NATO exercise in a dec
