Royal Navy landing platform dock HMS Albion returned to her home port of HM Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth, after leading an international task group on two months of exercises in the Baltic Sea. This was Albion’s first Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Maritime Task Group mission that demonstrated
The sailors and marines aboard US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Boxer have destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz on July 18, US president Donald Trump said during a White House event. While various media reports said the incident was confirmed by “senior defense officials”, Iranian o
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) has returned to the US after spending 14 years forward-deployed to Japan as part of the US 7th Fleet. The destroyer arrived at its new homeport of Naval Base San Diego on July 18. Stethem traded Fleet Activities Yokosuka with San Diego as its n
The latest round of tests carried out on US Navy destroyer USS John S. McCain after it was repaired following a deadly 2017 collision have revealed further issues postponing the ship’s return to the fleet. The Japan-based ship was expected to complete all repairs from the collision with a merchant v
A multinational amphibious landing and offensive assault was part of exercise Talisman Sabre.
Ships from the US Navy’s Kearsarge amphibious ready group (ARG) are set to return to Norfolk on July 18, after eight months of operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. More than 4,500 sailors and marines are embarked aboard amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), the amphibious trans
The US State Department has cleared Greece to buy MH-60R multi-mission helicopters with support equipment under a deal estimated to be worth $600 million. The US approval comes less than six months after the Greek government announced its intention to buy the MH-60R. The Hellenic Navy is expected to
The 13th vessel in the US Navy’s Spearhead-class of expeditionary fast transport (EPF) ships will be named USNS Apalachicola (T-EPF 13), Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer has announced. Construction of the ship is set to start in late 2019 after shipbuilder Austal USA received a long-lead tim
The UK is sending Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan to the Persian Gulf in the wake of an escalation of tensions in the region following the scrapping of the Iran nuclear deal and a spate of attacks on commercial tankers. HMS Duncan was operating in the Black Sea when the ship’s new tasking was announced
The Royal Malaysian Navy’s second Keris-class littoral mission ship (LMS) was launched in Wuhan, China, by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) on July 12. Named Sundang (with pennant number 112), the LMS is the second of four ships in the class ordered under a RM1.17 billion (approx. US$2
The Netherlands defense ministry has awarded Dutch shipbuilder Damen a contract for the refit and upgrades of three Royal Netherlands Navy ships. As part of the midlife upkeep (MLU) contract, Damen Shipyards Den Helder will modernize support ship HNLMS Pelikaan, along with hydrographic survey vessel
Italian Navy special forces – the Operational Raiders Group (Gruppo Operativo Incursori) – received the first of two high-speed multi-purpose vessels from Intermarine on July 8. Angelo Cabrini was delivered a little over a year after it was launched and will support missions of GOI, which is part of
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose has chased off five Iranian Revolutionary Guards vessels trying to impede the passage of tanker British Heritage in the Persian Gulf on Thursday. According to media reports, HMS Montrose positioned itself between the tanker and Iranian vessels and issued verbal warnin
US Navy destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) returned to its Spanish homeport at Naval Station Rota on July 7, completing its eighth forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) patrol. The Arleigh Burke-class ship departed for patrol on March 8 to carry out naval operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. R