Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, visited South Korea Nov. 21-22, meeting with senior military and government leaders to reaffirm the U.S. Navy’s commitment to the alliance with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the ongoing U.S. rebalance to the Pacific. During the two-day vis
PHILIPPINE SEA -Ticonderoga guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) flight deck crew have been operating non-stop during daylight hours in support of Operation Damayan. Damayan, which translates to “to help those in need” in Tagalog, has been the Cowpens’ focus in the aftermath of super Typhoon H
USS Chancellorsville Finishes Combat Systems Upgrades Naval Sea Systems Command completed the first-ever Air Defense Cruiser Aegis Baseline 9 combat systems upgrade for USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), March 29. The upgrade, part of the Navy’s Cruiser Modernization program, began in April 2012 at BAE S
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) returned to its homeport of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Nov. 22 from a deployment to the Western Pacific. Commanded by Capt. Patrick Kelly, the ship and its crew of nearly 340 Sailors departed Hawaii on April 30th and conducted integ
Having participated in the NATO exercise Joint Warrior, HMS Blyth began her Operational Sea Training (OST) package in late October. This meant undergoing a demanding programme of world renowned intensive training, designed to train crews in a series of realist challenging scenarios. The first two we
Chaplain Lt. Brian Kirschenbaum, of Carrier Air Wing Five, assisted aircrews in the Guiuan area with the loading and unloading of supplies and interacted with local citizens who were in need of food and shelter. Members from the U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) helped hundreds of
A Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose based Merlin Mk 1 flight is en route to the Philippines. The seventeen strong team, currently embarked in Portsmouth based amphibious helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious, were in the latter stages of the UK Response Force Task Group’s Cougar 13 autumn deployment whe
UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary, RFA Lyme Bay is heading for home having completed a 32 day tour of duty with Operation Atalanta – the European Union’s counter piracy operation off the coast of Somalia. RFA Lyme Bay departed the UK in mid August to form part of the Cougar 2013 Response Force Task Group (RF
In the early morning of Tuesday 19 November, EU Naval Force warship ITS Libeccio carried out a replenishment at sea (RAS) with the American auxiliary ship, USNS Arctic. The RAS, which was conducted in coordination with the US Fast Combat Support Ship, required the two ships to sail very close togeth
A multi-million dollar contract has been signed with Thales Australia for in-service support on four Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships, Australian Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), Mr Warren King, announced today. Mr King said the $46 million contract provides suppo
General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co.(NASSCO) has received a $12.1 million worth contract modification to exercise the option for the fitting-out availability of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, the USS Somerset (LPD 25). The contract includes engineering, planning, manage
USS Ashland (LSD 48) and USS Germantown (LSD 42), with embarked elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Naval Beach Unit (NBU) 7 and Commander Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11, arrived in Leyte Gulf off the Philippines coast Nov. 20 in support of Operation Damayan. The ships will be jo
HNLMS Johan de Witt and RFA Lyme Bay have participated in the US led international exercise ‘Cutlass Express’. The exercise, which was held in several operational areas in the waters off East Africa, is a maritime exercise, designed to improve cooperation, tactical expertise and information sharing
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus completed a visit to Doha, Qatar, Nov. 20. The visit was designed to build upon an existing relationship with Qatar, an important partner in the Middle East region. “Qatar is and remains a very valuable American partner,” said Mabus. “In our cooperation on a wide rang
