Amphibious & Support Ships
Op Sophia: 208 migrants rescued off Libya
Op Sophia vessels, assisted by the Spanish air force aircraft Vigma D-4 rescued 208 migrants at sea, while they were sailing towards Europe on March 6. According to EUNAVFOR, migrants on board two rubber boats were spotted by the Vigma D-4 aircraft 30 Nautical Miles North of Tripoli. The aircraft th
UK ship RFA Mounts Bay reinforces NATO’s Aegean Sea mission
Royal Navy’s amphibious landing ship royal fleet auxiliary (RFA) Mounts Bay together with three border force cutters will join the NATO mission in the Aegean Sea that aims to reduce the flow of migrants from Turkey to Europe, the UK Prime Minister said ahead of an EU sumit. RFA Mounts Bay, supported
USS Fort McHenry only US Navy ship in Cold Response 2016
USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), a U.S. Navy Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship homeported in Mayport, Florida, is participating in Exercise Cold Response 2016. Fort McHenry will be the only U.S. Navy vessel participating in this operation, providing support for U.S. Marines as well as Navy constructi
Fincantieri delivers nuclear waste transport vessel for Russian Navy
Images courtesy of FINCANTIERI S.p.A. – All rights reserved Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri on March 3 delivered the ‘Itarus’ semi-submersible floating platform to Russia where it will be used to transport decommissioned Russian Navy nuclear submarine reactor compartments. The platform was built for
UK advances Successor submarine programme funding
UK’s Defence Secretary Michael Fallon on March 3 announced additional £642 (approx. $907.2M) million of investment for the Successor submarine programme. New parts and facilities, as well as further design work will be funded by the latest investment which will help to progress work on the four new
Influenza cases on Algerian Navy ship at TKMS’ shipyard in Germany
Kiel, Germany firefighters responded to a call from the crew of Algerian Navy ship Harrad which reported a case of illness on Monday, February 29, Kieler Nachrichten reported. The firefighter department said that two persons came down with influenza. The news agency further said the health condition
German Navy ship trains Somaliland Coast Guard
Germany Navy corvette FGS Erfurt, part of Operation Atalanta, provided specialist training to Somaliland Coast Guard students in coordination with EUCap Nestor under the Local Maritime Capacity Building efforts. EUCap Nestor is a civilian mission which is mandated to support the development of marit
Mount Whitney stages SAR exercise with Republic of Cyprus Rescue Center
U.S. Navy’s command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) conducted a combined search and rescue (SAR) exercise with the Republic of Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Lanarca in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, February 29. The purpose of the exercise was to increase response capabi
Op Atalanta, Chinese Navy ships conduct joint training
Images: EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta warships met with their Chinese counterparts in the Indian Ocean to conduct joint training on February 27. Main focus of the training were air operations with the ships’ embarked helicopters. The Chinese ships, tanker CNS Taihu and frigate CNS Daquing, also conduc
HMS Artful tests custom-developed combat system
Royal Navy’s third Astute-class submarine HMS Artful test fired its Common Combat System which will be used in the RN submarine fleet in the future. Using a Spearfish torpedo for the test, the system was able to interpret sonar readings, and then attack a moving target with a practice weapon. The CC
AOR Patiño celebrates 2000th replenishment at sea
Images: Spanish Navy Spanish Navy’s auxiliary oiler and replenishment (AOR) ship ‘Patiño’ (A-14) has carried out its 2,000th RAS, this time with the American destroyer USS Farragut. The ship is participating in the multinational exercise TGEX 216 off the coast of Florida, USA. The Patiño has recentl
Allied warships come together for exercise Cold Response 2016
A total of 20 ships from NATO member countries are set to take part in the NATO’s, Norway-hosted, exercise Cold Response. The operational phase of the exercise will start on March 3 in Trondheim, Norway. Most of the ships from Norway, Denmark, England, France, Poland, The Netherlands, and Spain have
Thales to update Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate communications
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded French defence company Thales a £19 (approx. $26.4) million contract to perform a mid-life update to the External Communications Voice Distribution and Management System (called KMY) for the Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate fleet. Known as KRS (KMY Replacement S
HMS St Albans hosts Royal Marines for fast roping exercise
Royal Marines have tested their skills and know-how by fast roping from a helicopter onto HMS St Albans flightdeck. Using St Albans’ Merlin helicopter, one by one members of the ship’s Royal Marines Boarding Team (RMBT) carried out one of their most dangerous training exercises – descending from a h