Amphibious & Support Ships
Royal Navy tanker retires after 40 years of service
Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Gold Rover was officially decommissioned in a March 6 ceremony at HM Naval Base Portsmouth, after over 40 years of service. Commander Naval Operations Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant and the Head of the RFA Cdre Duncan Lamb joined former COs of the tanker for a service of thank
USS Philippine Sea visits Greece after drills with Egyptian Navy
U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) stopped in Souda Bay, Greece, for the first port visit during its 2017 deployment with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG). USS Philippine Sea was in Greece from March 1 to March 5 conducting a community relations project, w
Bataan ARG enters 6th Fleet AOO
U.S. Navy’s Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), together with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), entered the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations on March 7. While in theater, more than 4,000 sailors and marines of the ARG and MEU will train to share information, experiences, and work together.
Canadian Project Resolve AOR superstructure to arrive from Finland
Davie Shipbuilding, the contractor in charge of constructing the Royal Canadian Navy’s Resolve-class auxiliary oiler replenishment vessel, has subcontracted ALMACO Group for the delivery of a superstructure for the vessel. Project Resolve consists of converting a containership, former MV Asterix whi
NATO warships visit Plymouth for FOST training
Warship deployed to two standing NATO maritime groups arrived in Plymouth on Friday for an informal port visit and an opportunity to take part in Royal Navy’s renowned Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). Led by Norwegian Navy Commodore Ole Morten Sandquist, visiting ships from Standing NATO Maritime G
UK hosts first Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) conference
The Royal Navy recently hosted the first Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) conference in Portsmouth headed by Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Ben Key and Commander of UK Maritime Forces Rear Admiral Alex Burton. The UK, with partner nations Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and No
Spanish patrol vessel deploys to Africa
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel Vigía set sail from Cadiz to conduct a series of activities in Africa as part of the Spanish government’s Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and to
Two Royal Navy Merlins join French Navy’s Jeanne d’Arc deployment
Two Royal Navy Merlins have embarked French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral, the lead ship of French Navy task group, for the French annual Jeanne d’Arc deployment. The five-month amphibious deployment will take the force – which includes the frigate Courbet – as far east as Japan and Guam, as fa
Austrian Jagdkommandos to embark German tender for EU mission Sophia
Austrian Jagdkommandos, an Austrian Armed Forces’ Special Operations group, will embark German Navy tender ‘Main’ on March 2 to support EU’s counter-smuggling mission in the Mediterranean Sea. An official send-off ceremony for the Jagdkommandos took place in the Roßauer barracks in Vienna on Februar
Spanish frigate joins SNMG1
Spanish Navy frigate Reina Sofía (F-84) departed naval base Rota on February 27 to integrate into the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1). During the two and a half-month mission, the Spanish frigate will participate in several training activities with other NATO units, among them exercise Join
Spanish frigate and oiler join NATO’s SNMG2
A Spanish Navy frigate and an auxiliary oiler left their home port in Ferrol, Spain, last weekend to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Mediterranean Sea. Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate Méndez Núñez and oiler AOR Patiño will become part of SNMG2’s Task Unit 02 (TU.02), currently under com
New Royal Navy submarine investment a boost for Scotland economy
The UK Government, Royal Navy and Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership signed an agreement on February 27 that is expected to bring in more financial opportunities for the locals. Millions of pounds of investment in developing HM Naval Base Clyde as the Royal Navy Submarine Centre of Speci
Saab gets contract to work on Swedish Navy underwater weapon systems
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has contracted Saab for product support and maintenance of the Swedish Navy’s underwater weapon systems, the company announced on February 28. The contract enables FMV to place orders for product support and maintenance of underwater weapon systems d
NATO’s SNMG1 concludes drills off Norway
Warships from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) made a port call in Trondheim, Norway after concluding exercises in the North Atlantic off the coast of Norway. The force led and participated in two multinational exercises over the past two weeks, with more than 12 ships from several countries