Amphibious & Support Ships
Operation Atalanta flagship conducts first RAS in theatre
Operation Atalanta warships are on patrol around the clock off the coast of Somalia to keep the seas safe from piracy attack. Ensuring the ships remain topped up with fuel is a logistical feat in the waters of the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, with opportunities for replenishment at sea (RAS) taken
US, Royal Navy team up for Squadex-16
Minehunters from the U.S. and Royal Navy conducted the quarterly mine countermeasures (MCM) exercise Squadex-16 in the Arabian Gulf, July 30 through August 5. Participating naval vessels included U.S. Navy mine countermeasures ships USS Gladiator (MCM 11) and USS Sentry (MCM 3), U.K. landing ship do
Finland Navy stages annual national shooting exercise
METU-16, the Finnish Navy’s annual firing exercise, will be held from August 22 to 26 and August 29 to September 2 in the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Finland, the navy has informed. Hämeenmaa-class minelayers, Katanpää-class Mine Hunter Coastal Vessels, Rauma- and Hamina-class fast attack missil
Royal Navy frigate returns from counter-Daesh deployment
Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans returned to Naval Base Portsmouth today following a nine-month deployment to the Middle East. Hundreds of friends and families lined the Naval Base as the Type 23 frigate returned from the Gulf where she joined the US and French navies in the fight against Daesh. ‘Th
German tanker Spessart departs EU mission off Africa
German Navy’s Rhön-class tanker FGS Spessart has left the EU Naval Force and Operation Atalanta fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia. The ship spent eighty eight days and sailed over 13,600 nautical miles after leaving Wilhelmshaven navy base on April 18. The EU naval task force is deployed to t
Bangladesh receives first two converted Italian Navy corvettes
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered the first two of four offshore patrol patrol vessels to the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The converted and upgraded former Italian Navy Minerva-class corvettes were delivered during a ceremony held August 4 at the shipbuilder’s Muggiano yard in Italy. Formerl
Italian Coast Guard orders additional AgustaWestland helicopters
Leonardo-Finmeccanica, an Italian multinational aerospace and defence company announced July 4 it received an order from the Italian Coast Guard for additional two AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopters. By placing this order the Italian service will bring its AW139 fleet to twelve with options
BAE Systems prepares shipyard for Successor submarine
British defense contractor BAE Systems is upgrading its submarine construction site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria to prepare it for the construction of UK’s new Successor-class submarine. The company informed Tuesday it awarded another major contract and erected the first steelwork for the largest o
Raytheon awarded funds to improve MK-31 RAM missile
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a $36.6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract option for design agent and engineering support services for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) upgraded MK-31 Guided Missile Weapon System improvement program. The MK-31 RAM Guided M
NATO units boost exercise Sea Breeze in Ukraine
A division of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 and maritime assets from other allied nations joined the U.S.-Ukraine co-hosted international exercise Sea Breeze in the Black Sea from July 27 to 30. Personnel from Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine,
FGS Fulda joins NATO’s mine countermeasure group
German Navy minehunter FGS Fulda is scheduled to depart its homeport in Kiel, Germany to join NATO’s standing mine countermeasures group two on Friday, August 5. Manned by the 42 man strong ‘Charlie’ crew, Fulda will spend the next five months with the maritime group under the command of Captain lie
US Coast Guard, Royal Navy conduct VBSS drill in Bahrain
The U.S. Coast Guard maritime engagement team (MET) and the Royal Navy from HMS Portland (FS 79) recently carried out a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise at a training site in Bahrain. The exercise was held between July 26- 27 aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain which included a Shi
Dutch air defense and command frigate to lead NATO Aegean Sea mission
Dutch Navy’s De Zeven Provincien-class frigate HNLMS De Ruyter will be taking over as flagship of the NATO mission in the Aegean Sea in September 2016. The German Navy said the Dutch ship would take place of the frigate FGS Karlsruhe which is currently at the helm of the Standing NATO Maritime Group
USS Carney helps rescue 97 migrants from the Mediterranean
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) aided in the rescue of 97 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean Sea on July 29. According to the Navy, Carney provided aid for the migrants until the SOS Mediterranee ship MS Aquarius arrived and took the migrants to safety.