Black Sea Fleet (BSF) rescue tug Shakhter moored at homebase Sevastopol on Aug 4. The cruise of the BSF auxiliary ship lasted 3 months. The crew had excellently accomplished all assigned tasks and received traditional piglet roast. During the long-range cruise, the tug called at Spanish and American
THERE’S nothing like a ship’s homecoming. Tears. Smiles. Hugs. Kisses. Laughs. Glasses of champers. Banners. Union Jacks. Royal Marines Band. Huge White Ensigns. A flypast. Joy. Raw emotion. Two homecomings within minutes of each other, well that’s just magical. Britain’s flagship HMS Albion complet
Harbor Defense Division of Baltiysk Naval Base is completing preparations for the Open Spirit 2011 international minesweeping exercise to be held late in Aug. Crews of harbor minesweepers Sergei Kolbasiev and BT-230 headed by the division commander Capt 1 rank Pavel Prosekov tested the ships at sea.
Three Royal Navy ships return home this weekend bringing to a close an eventful and complex operational deployment to the Mediterranean and Middle East. The Task Force Flagship, HMS Albion, and her escorting Frigate, HMS Sutherland, both arrive back in their homeport of Plymouth on Mon 8 Aug. RFA Ca
American frigate USS Carr arrived in Baltic Fleet (BF) main naval base paying informal visit, reports Russian Defense Ministry. The ship called at Baltiysk after friendly visit to St. Petersburg where she had participated in 5th International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS-2011) held since June 29 till
The Royal Navy’s Flagship, HMS Albion, and its largest ship, HMS Ocean, are reunited off the coast of Libya for a transfer of stores, ammunition and personnel. The two Devonport based amphibious ships are both part of the Royal Navy’s Response Force Task Group, but for the past six weeks HMS Albion
HMS Sutherland fires her main 4.5-inch gun as part of NATO’s Operation Unified Protector to safeguard the civilian population of Libya. Destroyer HMS Liverpool has returned to front-line duties off Libya, taking over from frigate HMS Sutherland. The type 23 had a busy week on the NATO tasking, runni
The Cold War may be over but Royal Navy fliers have been keeping their submarine-hunting skills fresh. A Merlin helicopter flew from the frigate HMS St Albans to search the seas below for enemy boats. The aircraft from 829 Naval Air Squadron was designed to give the Navy the best chance of finding s
Babcock has achieved a score of 90% in the two year review of the four year Warship Support Modernisation Initiative (WSMI) partnering agreement between Babcock and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at Devonport. The review findings demonstrate Babcock’s ability to work successfully with the MoD not onl
Planning for the fourth and last Vanguard class Long Overhaul Period and Refuel (LOP(R)), to be undertaken by Babcock at Devonport Royal Dockyard on HMS Vengeance, has reached an important milestone with the submission of the tender, following identification of the full work package requirement, for
BMT Defence Services Ltd, a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, will use the prestigious DSEi exhibition in London next month as a platform to showcase its global capabilities in both naval design and acquisition support. BMT will also launch a new and unique service to the defence industry designed specif
Sailors aboard USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) conducted deck landing qualification (DLQ) training with Romanian navy pilots July 31-Aug. 1 as part of the bilateral exercise Summer Storm 2011. The eight Romanian pilots, the only aviators in that country’s navy, are members of “Black Sea Knights” and fly
On July 28th, after sixty days proudly serving under the European Flag, the French Frigate FS COURBET completed her participation as an EU NAVFOR warship in Operation ATALANTA. During the period, FS Courbet has conducted a multiplicity of tasks in the force, primarily conducting the EU NAVFOR’s main
HMS Albion, Flagship of the Royal Navy, visited Valetta, Malta, between 25 and 27 July 2011 for a short operational stand down following a period East of Suez. The 18,500 tonne assault ship has had a busy few months undertaking amphibious exercises in the Mediterranean in May, supporting NATO mariti
