German Navy frigate FGS Bayern is set to return to her Wilhelmshaven homeport on Saturday after four months of operations in the Aegean Sea. In total, the ship spent over five months underway as part of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), sailing 27,500 nautical miles. Bayern is returning to W
US Navy’s amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD 23) arrived in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, on August 24 as part of her Western Pacific deployment. The ship got underway from San Diego early July to operate as part of the Essex amphibious ready group together with amphibious assault ship USS Essex
The US Navy has called off the search for a sailor who was reported missing from cruiser USS Lake Erie on August 19. Navy and Coast Guard assets suspended search and rescue operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean at sunset, August 22, after an extensive four-day search. “My thoughts and prayers are
The US Navy received the future USS Sioux City (LCS 11) and USS Wichita (LCS 13) in a ceremony at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin on August 22. Sioux City and Wichita, respectively, are the 14th and 15th littoral combat ships (LCSs) to be delivered to the Navy and the sixth an
Ships deployed as part of the Royal Australian Navy’s annual maritime task group Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 (IPE18) have returned to Australia following a three-month deployment to the Pacific. HMAS Adelaide docked in Townsville on August 23 to return embarked soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, Royal
The New Zealand government has approved NZ$103 million for the purchase and refit of a second-hand multi-role offshore support vessel that will be used as a dive and hydrographic support vessel by the Royal New Zealand Navy. Following purchase, the 85-meter Norwegian-built survey vessel MV Edda Fonn
Ships deployed as part of the Royal Australian Navy’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour tour have concluded their final port visits before returning home later this week. HMA Ships Adelaide and Toowoomba visited the Solomon Islands’ capital Honiara, while HMAS Success visited Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, workin
The UK defense ministry has awarded Babcock International a five-year maritime training systems through-life availability & support service (MARTASS) contract. As announced by the company, a series of support packages, defined by the maritime combat system (MCS) and maritime training acquisition org
UK shipbuilder Cammell Laird announced it has built a network of more than 2,000 suppliers that will be involved in the construction of the Royal Navy’s future Type 31 frigate should the Cammell Laird-BAE Systems duo be selected. The shipyard and engineering services company says it is registering m
The Australian defense industry minister has announced a request for information inviting companies to have their say on how marine support services should be delivered in the future. The RFI was issued for the Defence Marine Support Services (DMSS) program which includes services such as tugs for p
Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigates are set to benefit from improved shipboard electronic countermeasures systems under a contract announced by the Canadian defense minister on August 17. According to defense minister Harjit S. Sajjan, the government of Canada has awarded Lockheed Martin Ca
The US Navy has identified a Marine who was reported missing from the USS Essex on August 9 has been identified as Cpl. Jonathan Currier. After a five-day search in the Mindanao Sea, which involved the Essex amphibious ready group (ARG) and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in addition to Phi
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to get underway from HMNB Portsmouth on Saturday for her first-of-class F-35B flight trials. The deployment is dubbed Westlant 18 and will see the carrier spend four months off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States with the aim of deve
Forward-deployed ships from the US Navy’s Ronald Reagan carrier strike group (CSG) started bilateral training with Japan Maritime Self Defense destroyer JS Kirishima on August 14. The exercise is also joined by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) personnel from the Commander, Escort Division (