On 19 July 2013, Read Admiral Eric Dupont (French Navy) handed over the role of Deputy Operation Commander (DCOM) of the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta to Rear Admiral Jean Martens (German Navy). The handover took place at the Operation Headquarters (OHQ) in Nort
Sailors and Marines assigned to the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) participated in a helicopter assault training exercise 20 and 21 July during the biennial multi-national exercise Talisman Saber 2013. Over a 2-day period, more than six Navy and Marine aircraft conducted flight op
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert discussed the status of the fleet, readiness impact due to sequestration, and modifications to Navy policies at a press conference July 19 at the Pentagon. “Presence remains our mandate,” Greenert said. “This is what we are mostly about, and it’
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82) and a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) submarine participated in a torpedo exercise in the Coral Sea, July 19, in support of exercise Talisman Saber 2013 (TS 13). TS 13 is a biennial training event aimed at improving Australian Defense
On Thursday 11 July, Commodore Jorge Novo Palma, who is the Force Commander embarked in the EU Naval Force’s counter piracy flagship, NRP Álvares Cabral, welcomed on board Rear Admiral Yuan Yubai and a delegation from the Chinese PLA Navy. Rear Admiral Yuan Yubai commands the Chinese PLA Navy’s coun
The Norfolk Ship Support Activity (NSSA) Gas Turbine Maintenance Assist Team (GTMAT) initiated repair work on USS McFaul (DDG 74) July 8. The GTMAT is part of a Naval Sea Systems Command initiative established to find, fix and document discrepancies found within the fleet and is spending two weeks a
Last week EU Naval Force confirmed that the Malaysian flagged Motor Vessel, MV Albedo, held by armed pirates in an anchorage close to the Somali coast since November 2010, had sunk in rough seas. Since then EU Naval Force warships and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft have conducted sea and air searches in
The Royal Navy’s HMS Protector, which had been due in the port of Ipswich from July 19-24, has been forced to pull out of her visit for operational reasons. The 90-metre Antarctic patrol vessel visited the Suffolk port last year and is affiliated to the City of Cambridge, home of the British Antarct
Amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) was awarded the 2013 Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Safety Excellence Award for fiscal year 2012, July 2. The award recognizes the Kearsarge Safety department’s outstanding performance in the areas of safety and risk management in the work environment wi
Assembly of the Royal Navy’s sixth Astute Class attack submarine, Agamemnon, has begun at Barrow-in-Furness. The keel, which is the first part of the boat to be built, was unveiled at a ceremony at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness by Defence Minister Philip Dunne yesterday, 18 July. It com
The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group, Destroyer Squadron 15 (DESRON 15) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) collaborate in an air defense exercise (ADEX) in support of exercise Talisman Saber 2013 (TS 13). ADEXs provide combined tra
Just days after sailors from HMS Argyll trekked across South Georgia, the crew of tanker RFA Black Rover were treated to a visit to the snow-laden paradise. The tanker, which has recently taken over from her sister Gold Rover in the South Atlantic, spent four days anchored in Cumberland Bay off the
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a $173 million performance-based logistics contract to provide support and sustainment services for the LITENING advanced targeting system. Under the five-year agreement, Northrop Grumman will provide logistics support, technical support to the field, ai
The Ship’s Company of HMS Lancaster have been praised by police for helping detect three cannabis plantations in the Caribbean resulting in the seizure of 204 plants. HMS Lancaster is currently deployed on patrol in the North Atlantic and Caribbean and was on a visit to the island of Anguilla when t
