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UMS SKELDAR joins OCEAN2020 project with its Skeldar V-200 UAV
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developer UMS SKELDAR has joined the European Defence Fund’s OCEAN2020 autonomous systems project with its Skeldar V-200 UAV, the company announced on January 22. UMS SKELDAR is joining the naval surveillance technology project alongside its partner Saab. OCEAN2020 is t
Keel laid for first of six Polish Navy tugs
Polish shipbuilder Remontowa Shipbuilding SA has laid the keel for the first of six tugs to be built for the Polish Navy under a contract signed in June 2017. The first tug, bearing pennant number 860/1, started construction in November 2017 when the first steel was cut. The tugs will be used for po
USNS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams completes builder’s and acceptance trials
Expeditionary Sea Base ship USNS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams (T-ESB 4) has completed its first integrated trials, the US Naval Sea Systems Command announced. T-ESB 4 got underway Jan. 19, sailing from and returning to General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) shipyard in San Diego.
Submarine tender USS Frank Cable returns home from eight-month overhaul
US Navy submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) returned to her Guam homeport on January 23 after completing an eight-month overhaul in Portland, Oregon. Frank Cable, which departed Guam March 6, 2017, completed maintenance, renewal and repairs at Vigor Marine’s shipyard which returned the 40 year-
Royal Bahrain Naval Force receives first upgraded Al-Manama FPB 62 patrol combatant
The Royal Bahrain Naval Force received its first upgraded Al-Manama class guided-missile patrol combatant in a ceremony on January 22 at the main navy base in Mina Salman. The FPB 62 patrol combatant was delivered by Italian defense company Leonardo after the company was awarded a modernization cont
German frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern wraps up operation Sophia deployment
German Navy frigate FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has completed a six-month deployment to the EU-led migrant-rescue operation Sophia and is currently on her way home. The F123 frigate has departed the Mediterranean Sea and is scheduled to enter her homeport in Wilhelmshaven on January 26. During her ti
Future USS Portland arrives in San Diego
Three days after the arrival of future littoral combat ship USS Omaha, naval base San Diego welcomed the future amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) to its new homeport on January 22. Portland’s arrival to her Southern California homeport concluded a six-week transit from her buildin
Spanish research ship ‘Hespérides’ starts second phase of Antarctic campaign
The Spanish Navy-operated polar research ship B.I.O. Hespérides has started the second phase of the 31st Spanish Antarctic Campaign after a three and a half-month voyage from her homeport in Cartagena. After making port calls in Mar de Plata and Ushuaia, the ship proceeded towards the Antarctic cont
US Navy contracts BAE Systems for modernized Mk 45 gun deliveries
The US Navy has ordered four additional Mk 45 naval guns to be delivered by BAE Systems under a $46.8 million contract option. The contract modification calls for upgrading existing guns to the Mod 4 configuration to increase the firepower and extend the range of the weapons. According to BAE System
7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge undocks
US Navy’s forward-deployed command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) completed her dry dock maintenance, undocking and mooring pierside at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on January 21. Blue Ridge is the oldest operational US Navy ship and this dry-docking period extended her life by approximately 20-plus year
Harry S. Truman CSG clears hurdles before final pre-deployment drill
The US Navy’s Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group has completed the fleet synthetic training – group commander (FST-GC) exercise on January 19, clearing another hurdle before starting the final pre-deployment exercise – Comptuex. In addition to FST-GC, Harry S. Truman sailors completed the force pr
USS Mississippi (SSN 782) on deployment’s second visit to Japan
US Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN 782) pulled into Fleet Activities Yokosuka on January 22, for her second visit to the city during her deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Mississippi is visiting Yokosuka after two months at sea. “It is great to be back in Yokosu
USS Hopper sails near disputed South China Sea island claimed by China
US destroyer USS Hopper sailed within 12 miles of the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea under what the US Navy refers to as a freedom of navigation operation. Hopper sailed near the China-claimed island on January 17 as part of its Western Pacific deployment. China’s foreign ministry
Damaged destroyer USS Fitzgerald arrives in Mississippi for repairs
Damaged US Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) has arrived in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where it will undergo some two years of repairs after being involved in a collision with a merchant tnaker in June 2017. The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer arrived in Pascagoula on January 19 aboa