British defense contractor and shipbuilder BAE Systems is cutting around 375 jobs across its Maritime Services division, the company announced on Tuesday. The cuts in Portsmouth and Solent are part of a wider, company-wide restructuring which will see BAE Systems reduce over 1900 positions. The move
Royal Navy’s amphibious transport dock HMS Albion embarked officer cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College for their first experience at sea. The 18,500 tonne assault ship sent two of her largest landing craft into the River Dart to embark the group of 75 cadets. They will spend the next six weeks
US Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) was prevented from sailing out for potential storm Nate relief operations after a mechanical issue tied it to port. The ship was expected to get underway on October 7, together with amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), but was d
In another first on its maiden deployment, the US Navy’s America-class amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) arrived in Eilat, Israel, for a port visit on October 5. The flagship of the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) is on its first ever visit to the country. “The marines and sailors hav
The US Military Sealift Command ship USNS Comfort has departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is now underway standing ready for additional mission assignments. Comfort is currently underway and expected to arrive and provide medical services in the Aricibo-Manati region. While in San Juan, the hospital
A Dutch and a Royal Navy ship recently completed what was termed by the Royal Navy as “the easiest RAS ever”, as support vessel RFA Mounts Bay took on fuel from Dutch ship HNLMS Karel Doorman in the Caribbean. A difficult – potentially dangerous – manoeuvre it’s typically performed mid-Ocean between
The Italian Navy’s first multipurpose offshore patrol vessel (PPA) received its gensets after they passed factory acceptance tests in July this year. Following the FAT, MAN Diesel & Turbo SE delivered four MAN 12V175D generating sets to Fincantieri’s Muggiano Shipyard, where the seven vessels (Pattu
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has started construction of the second Italian Navy multipurpose offshore patrol ship (PPA). The steel-cutting ceremony took place on October 3 at the shipbuilder’s Riva Trigoso, Genova, shipyard. The unit will be delivered in 2022 and is part of the Italian Navy vess
The wreck of what is believed to be the Royal Navy’s WWII submarine HMS Narwhal has recently been found by hydrographers off the coast of Scotland. HMS Narwhal was last seen in late July 1940 when she left her base to lay mines off German-occupied Norway during the Battle of Britain. Sitting upright
During an open house day on October 1, Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan unveiled the first large vessel to be designed and built in Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy The unveiled ship is also the Canadian Coast Guard’s first offshore fisheries science vessel (OFSV), named after Sir John Fr
The US Navy has awarded Saab a contract to deliver its Sea Giraffe agile multi beam (AMB), multi-mode radar (MMR) for the US Coast Guard’s offshore Patrol Cutters. The current contract is worth $16.8 million and contains options for further deliveries which could bring the overall contract value to
Ships from 13 nations are taking part in the French-hosted exercise Brilliant Mariner which kicked off September 29. The exercise is attended by Standing NATO Maritime Groups one and two and the Standing Mine Countermeasure Group 2 in addition to the French Aero-Naval Rapid Reaction Force (FRMARFOR)
The US Army has picked Vigor Marine to build the service’s new landing craft, dubbed maneuver support vessel (light) – MSV(L). Worth almost a billion dollars ($979.7m), the contract is the largest award in Vigor’s history. The award comes concurrent with a “Milestone B” decision that moves the progr
UK defense secretary Michael Fallon on Tuesday unveiled a new Royal Navy fleet support model bringing a spate of existing contracts under new, overarching arrangements. Called Common Support Model (CSM), the arrangement will provide a framework for comprehensive support across the Royal Navy’s fleet
