Amphibious & Support Ships
France: BPC Dixmude Comes to Toulon for Combat System Integration, Testing
BPC Dixmude – the third Mistral/BPC-type force projection & command vessel for the French Navy – arrived in Toulon after sailing from Saint-Nazaire on 6 July. Over the coming six months, DCNS will settle the ship’s combat system. The ship will be delivered to the French defence procurement agency DG
UK: HMS Echo Leads HMS Albion on Gulf Exercise
Survey ship HMS Echo stepped up to the mark when she was charged with leading the nation’s flagship in for a beach assault as week-long exercises with the United Arab Emirates reached their climax. The Devonport-bases hydrographic vessel – six months into a two-year deployment east of Suez, where sh
RNZN Builds Key Relationships as Part of CTF Mission to Disrupt Piracy
The new Commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, Captain Jim Gilmour RNZN, is building key relationships as part of the CTF mission to disrupt piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin region. CAPT Gilmour met with Portuguese Commodore Alberto Correia, Commander of the European Union Naval Forc
Britain’s Most Advanced Warship Gets Extra Firepower
Britain’s most advanced warship has a little extra firepower today with the installation of two automatic machine-guns which throw up a wall of steel against attackers. HMS Daring has become the first Type 45 destroyer to receive the Phalanx Gatling gun – the latest version of the battle-proven weap
UK: HMS Diamond Starts Service
Following commissioning in May this year, HMS Diamond, one of the Royal Navy’s new Type 45 advanced air defence destroyers, has entered service following extensive sea trials, the MOD announced today. The vessel’s capability is based around the sophisticated Sea Viper missile defence system, which i
UK: Royal Marine Saves Yachtsmen in Cornish Storm
Two yachtsmen owe their lives to the fliers of 771 Naval Air Squadron after a dramatic rescue in a gale 100 miles off Cornwall. Aircrewman Sgt Tony Russell RM was forced to dive into the Atlantic and under a liferaft to haul one of the sailors to safety after the men had abandoned the […]
DCNS Delivers SIMOPE MU90 Torpedo Simulator to German Navy
DCNS has successfully delivered the SIMOPE (SIMulateur OPErationnel) MU90 torpedo simulator to the German Navy. SIMOPE is designed to prepare and simulate operational launch scenarios with the MU90 lightweight anti-submarine torpedo, in an extremely realistic configuration. The German defence procur
UK: HMS Bulwark Visits Torquay as Part of Regional Engagement Programme
The Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ship HMS Bulwark – star of Channel Five’s very popular ‘Warship’ series – is visiting Torquay as part of an ongoing Regional Engagement programme. The massive, 20,000-tonne Landing Craft utility leviathan will anchor in Tor bay on Friday, July 22 for three days an
UK: HMS York Returns Home to Portsmouth Naval Base
HMS York returned to cheering crowds of families and well-wishers at Portsmouth Naval Base last week following a varied and wide-ranging deployment to the South Atlantic and Libya. The Royal Navy Type 42 destroyer sailed into the base in spectacular style, with a powerful 15-gun salute to the Second
BAE Systems Signs Contract with SeeByte to Develop Solutions for Autonomous Maritime Operations
BAE Systems and SeeByte Ltd of Edinburgh, Scotland have signed a Co-operation Agreement to pursue business opportunities associated with the UK’s Mine Counter Measure (MCM), Hydrography and Patrol Capability (MHPC) Programme. BAE Systems Mission Systems and SeeByte have identified a shared vision fo
UK: HMS Westminster Receives Award for Operations in Libya
Portsmouth based warship HMS Westminster has been formally recognised by the American Armed Forces for her contribution to operations in Libya earlier this year. The Type-23 frigate was initially deployed to Libya on Operation Ellamy to take part in humanitarian operations and evacuate refugees, tak
UK: HMS Tyne Goes to Tyne Festival, Opens for Public
Royal Navy warship HMS Tyne will go alongside Northumbrian Quay in North Shields this Friday for the start of a four-day whistlestop visit to her affiliate region. She is visiting in support of the seventh annual Mouth of the Tyne Festival and is very much looking forward to representing the Royal N
UK: HMS Sutherland Practises Winching Drills off Shores of Saudi Arabia
LAET Greg Coulter ‘dances‘ on the surface of the Indian Ocean as HMS Sutherland practises winching drills in the middle of a major amphibious exercise off the shores of Saudi Arabia. The Devonport-based Type 23 frigate is the escort for the Cougar 11 task group – the Navy’s key deployment of the yea
UK: Crew Says Farewell to HMS Cornwall
The crew of HMS Cornwall said farewell to the ship last week at a decommissioning ceremony at Devonport Naval Base. The ceremony, held on Thursday 1 July 2011, marked the retirement of the ship from the Royal Navy after 23 years, and was an occasion for the ship’s captain, Commander David Wilkinson,