Authorities
Austal will not take part in Australian OPV construction after all
Australian shipbuilder Austal will not be taking part in the construction of 12 offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Australian Navy, according to a May 11 statement from Luerssen – the prime contractor on the project. The announcement follows months of negotiations between the two sides. In Novemb
NATO drill Open Spirit kicks off in Estonia
Mine countermeasure ships and personnel from 15 navies gathered in Tallinn, Estonia, for the start of the international Baltic Sea ordnance disposal drill Open Spirit. The exercise kicks off Friday and is joined by ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) among others. Open
HMAS Adelaide gears up for Indo-Pacific deployment, RIMPAC
Royal Australian Navy landing helicopter dock HMAS Adelaide is making final preparations for a three-month deployment which will include participation in RIMPAC, the world’s largest international maritime exercise taking place off Hawaii. Adelaide’s journey across the South Pacific to Hawaii and bac
HII boosts 3-D printing application in shipbuilding
Huntington Ingalls Industries, the sole builder of US Navy aircraft carriers, announced May 10 that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division is boosting application of 3-D printing in its operations. NNS has partnered with 3D Systems to develop additive manufacturing technologies expected to acc
Unite backs Corbyn’s call for Royal Navy ships to be built in UK
Unite, the UK’s largest union representing defence and shipbuilding workers, backed today’s demand by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for the three new Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels to be built in UK shipyards. Government plans to put the £1 billion contract for building the ships out to tender in inter
US Coast Guard brings 6 tons of cocaine to Florida
The crew of US Coast Guard cutter James offloaded approximately 6 tons of cocaine in Port Everglades on Thursday, worth an estimated $180 million. The narcotics were seized in multiple interceptions in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The interdictions took place off the coasts of
Multi-lateral anti-submarine warfare drill starts in Norway
A multi-lateral anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise in the Norwegian Sea got underway May 9 as navy assets from five ally countries gathered in Bodo, Norway, for the pre-sail conference. The exercise is hosted by Norway and led by the US Navy. ASW forces from Canada, France, Norway, the United Kin
Turkish minehunter finds unexploded ordnance during Spanish MINEX
Turkish Navy minehunter TCG Anamur has discovered historical unexploded ordnance during mine countermeasures drills conducted as part of the Spanish-hosted multinational exercise MINEX 2018. According NATO Maritime Command, the ordnance was discovered by TCG Anamur on 8 May using the ship’s speciali
Pacific Partnership mission ends in Sri Lanka, heads for Vietnam
Pacific Partnership 2018 engagements in Sri Lanka concluded May 9 with mission participants departing Trincomalee aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) for the mission’s fourth port visit in Nha Trang, Vietnam. “We’ve continued to build upon the partnerships we forged du
US Navy cruiser, destroyer return from carrier strike group deployments
Sailors aboard US Navy cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102) returned to their homeports on May 9 after concluding deployments with their relevant carrier strike groups. Returning to Naval Base San Diego with its 350 crew, Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS
US Navy research vessel R/V Thomas G. Thompson back at sea after mid life refit
The US Navy-owned research vessel (R/V) Thomas G. Thompson returned to sea recently following an 18-month mid-life refit at Vigor Marine’s Harbor Island shipyard in Seattle. The vessel was “was refurbished from stem to stern”, according to Vigor Marine, and has received new operating systems and tec
Spain-based destroyer USS Ross concludes forward-deployed patrol
US Navy’s Spain-based Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) completed its sixth patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, returning to its forward-deployed location at Naval Station Rota on May 7. Ross departed Rota Jan. 8, 2018, and in the course of its four-month patr
France to build fifth nuclear Barracuda-class submarine
French defense minister Florence Parly announced on May 4 that another Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarine was ordered for the French Navy. According to a defense ministry statement, the decision to order the fifth boat in the class was made during a defense ministry meeting on May 2. The new g
German Navy frigate FGS Sachsen concludes operation Sophia deployment
The first German Navy vessel to deploy in 2018 is returning home after concluding a five-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea as part of the EU-led operation Sophia. FGS Sachsen, the lead ship of the German Navy’s F124 air defense frigates, is set to return to her homeport in Wilhelmshaven on M