Days after setting sail from South Georgia, Royal Navy frigate HMS Portland reached what is officially known as the most remote populated island on the planet. The South Atlantic island is called Tristan da Cunha and houses the 6,765ft volcano Queen Mary’s Peak. At 38 square miles, the size of Coven
Construction on the U.S Navy’ next expeditionary fast transport USNS City of Bismarck officially started with a keel laying ceremony on January 18. The ceremony was held at Austal’s Mobile, Alabama shipyard during which former North Dakota District Court Judge Robert Wefald served as keel authentica
U.S. Coast Guard cutter Kukui left its homeport of Sand Island in Honolulu one last time on January 9, exactly 19 years to the day after its commissioning. The ship and its crew of 46 are sailing the cutter to the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore for its regular scheduled midlife maintenance. When Kuku
Austal marked the start of fabrication work on the U.S. Navy’s eleventh expeditionary fast transport USNS Puerto Rico on January 18. On the same day, the keel was authenticated for the EPF 9, USNS City of Bismarck. The start of construction on Puerto Rico signifies the procurement of materials and c
While it is important for the U.S. Navy to increase the number of ships being built, it is even more important to have the shipbuilders construct the ‘right kinds of ships’, a new Senate Armed Services Committee white paper has suggested. A Small Surface Combatant that could begin procurement in 202
Refuting negative press reports, UK’s Maritime Forces commander Rear Admiral Alex Burton pointed to the Royal Navy’s numerous operations in 2016 during a speech he delivered to the All Parties Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Armed Forces at the Palace of Westminster on January 16 Below is a trans
U.S. Marines’ F-35B Lightning II aircraft arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on January 18 as the first F-35B squadron on an operational overseas deployment. With this deployment, the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 begins a permanent change of station to MCAS Iwakuni from MCAS Yuma, Ari
A Polish commander is now at the helm of NATO’s standing mine counter measures group two (SNMCMG2) following a change of command ceremony in Polish Naval Base Swinoujscie. Commander Aleksander Urbanowicz took over from his Greek counterpart, Captain Panagiotis Papageorgiou, who led the group aboard
U.S. Navy Cyclone-class patrol coastal ships USS Zephyr (PC 8) and USS Shamal (PC 13) returned to Mayport, Florida, concluding counter drug patrols in support of operation Martillo. The ships returned on January 17 wrapping up their 64-day patrol in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility. Marking
U.S. Navy’s attack submarine USS Topeka (SSN 754) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan for a visit on January 17. The port visit is part of the Los Angeles-class submarine’s Indo-Asia-Pacific patrol. “We are honored to have the opportunity to visit Japan,” said Cmdr. Steven Tarr III, commandi
2017 will be a busy year for the Royal Australian Navy’s aircraft maintenance and flight trials unit which has seven first of class flight trials scheduled before September. The unit, along with Royal Australian Air Force’s aircraft research and development unit, and Army aviation test and evaluatio
The UK Ministry of Defence has contracted Amec Foster Wheeler to support its Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programme (NNPP) with research and technology (R&T) services. The work is worth approximately £35m over five years and will sustain about 70 jobs at Amec Foster Wheeler’s offices and laboratories in
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) was alongside Manama, Bahrain, January 9-15, for the ship’s first port visit since entering the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Makin Island, and its crew of more than 2,400 sailors and marines, visited Bahrain to replenish supplies, pe
The crew of U.S. Coast Guard cutter Tahoma returned to homeport on January 13 with over three tons of cocaine seized during a 49-day patrol. Homeported in Kittery, Maine, Tahoma’s crew conducted drug interdiction efforts, strategically intercepting and boarding suspected smuggling vessels in the Eas
