Amphibious & Support Ships
German frigate FGS Lübeck returning from SNMG2 deployment
German Navy’s Bremen-class frigate FGS Lübeck is on her way home having concluded 700 patrol hours as part of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2). The ship and her 200 crew are scheduled to enter their homeport of Wilhelmshaven on November 10, after two months of operations in the Aegean Sea. T
Spanish Navy stages anti-air missile firing drill in Gulf of Cadiz
Spanish Navy frigates recently took part in anti-air missile firing drills in the Gulf of Cadiz. Santa Maria-class frigates ‘Navarra’, Canarias’ and ‘Santa María’ were joined by F-100 frigate ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ and a number of other ships as they fired Standard SM-1 missiles. ESPS Almirante
HMS Enterprise scans Falklands War wrecks
Royal Navy’s hydrographic survey ship HMS Enterprise recently surveyed the wrecks of Royal Navy ships lost in the Falklands War to mark the 35th anniversary of the South Atlantic conflict. HMS Coventry was scanned lying with her port side buried in the sea bed. The separated remains of HMS Antelope,
USS Carney completes 60-day refit in Spain
US Navy personnel from the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) Detachment Rota, Spain, completed a 60-day surface incremental availability (SIA) on destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64), Oct. 27. “This was the second SIA conducted in Rota, Spain and continues the record of on-time availabil
Royal Navy equipment cannibalization increased 49% in last five years, report says
Amid reduced funding for spares across all the UK armed forces, the Royal Navy has increased equipment cannibalization by 49% in the last five years, a report published by the UK National Audit Office says. While equipment cannibalization can be necessary – and authorized by the defense ministry – i
RFA Tidesurge and ROKS Daegu sailors form sisterhood bond
Royal Navy support ship RFA Tidesurge and Republic of Korea Navy’s lead Daegu-class frigate signed a bond of sisterhood, cementing their friendship with a long-standing tradition in the Asian country. For the rest of their lives, ROKS Daegu and RFA Tidesurge will follow each other’s progress, share
NATO ships conclude operation Sea Guardian patrol in the Mediterranean
The latest round of Mediterranean Sea patrols carried out by NATO ships as part of operation Sea Guardian concluded on October 30 and saw the participation of four ships and one submarine. Ships from the navies of Bulgaria, Italy, Romania and Turkey, in cooperation with maritime patrol aircraft from
HMS Ocean returns to NATO flagship role after hurricane response
Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean has assumed her role as NATO SNMG2 flagship again after returning from the Caribbean where she contributed to the UK humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation Ruman. Ocean relieved HMS Diamond – Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer which jumped in for th
Indonesian Navy receives second PKR frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai
The Indonesian Navy received its second Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) guided-missile frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai during a ceremony in Surabaya, Indonesia, on October 30. Named after the Indonesian War of Independence hero who fought against the Dutch between 1945 and 1949, KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai is t
Royal Navy’s oldest vessel starts Indian Ocean deployment
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Fort Rosalie, the UK’s oldest ship in naval service, recently started a six-month deployment in Southwest Asia entering the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. Replacing sister ship RFA Fort Victoria, RFA Fort Rosalie will be helping allied warships sustain the constant fight
Royal Navy decommissions first River-class OPV HMS Severn
The Royal Navy has decommissioned River-class patrol vessel HMS Severn after fourteen years of service. The decommissioning ceremony took place at HM Naval Base Portsmouth on Firday, October 27. The ship’s company and guests gathered at South Railway Jetty for a final inspection and service of thank
VSTEP bags UAE naval training center bridge simulator contract
Simulation technology developer VSTEP announced it has been awarded a contract from CAE to deliver ship bridge simulators for the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Naval Training Centre. In mid-2016, CAE was awarded a contract by the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the UAE Armed Forces to design and develop
UK reportedly mulls selling frigates and amphibious ships to Brazil and Chile
Several UK and international reports said the UK defense ministry is considering selling a number of its frigates and two amphibious ships to the navies of Brazil and Chile. Previous reports indicated that the two Albion-class landing platform docks were likely to be sold due to the UK defense minis
Dutch, German divers join US counterparts at Bold Alligator 2017
Divers from the US, German and Dutch navies concluded several days of expeditionary mine countermeasures (ExMCM) training as part of exercise Bold Alligator 2017 (BA17). The combined ExMCM force had members from the Royal Netherlands Navy Defense Dive Group Very Shallow Water (VSW) Dive Platoon, Ger