HNLMS Rotterdam, the amphibious transport ship, left Den Helder to take part in the counterpiracy operation Ocean Shield. Once in Somali waters, the 320-strong crew will be joined by the staff of the NATO squadron, led by Dutch Commodore Ben Bekkering. Commodore Bekkering has overall command of the
On a typical summer’s day – wet, windy – seamen specialists of the nation’s flagship pull in the hawser on the forecastle as HMS Bulwark sails on her Olympic mission. The amphibious assault ship departed Devonport and is spending the next few days ‘fine tuning’ before she arrives in Weymouth Bay – a
Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 arrived in Antalya, Turkey, for a scheduled port visit, July 17. The port visit will provide Sailors the opportunity to experience the Turkish culture and traditions, take tours o
TS Galatea has hosted visits from the Ship’s Company of Defender in the past but this was the first with Cdr Nash in his role as her first captain and also since the current Unit CO, WO2 (SCC) Frank Boyd RNR, has taken command of TS Galatea. After colours Cdr Nash inspected the cadets, chatted [&hel
Recently the second of a series of four Damen Stan Patrol Vessels 4207, going by the name of ‘Oriku’, has been finalized in the Pashaliman Shipyard in Vlorë (Albania) and delivered to the Albanian Coast Guard. The third Stan Patrol Vessel (SPa), called ‘Lisus’, is presently under construction. The S
HMS Dragon has successfully tested her Sea Viper weapon system by knocking a target out of the sky at the Outer Hebrides missile range off Scotland. The firing exercise took place in almost perfect conditions on a rare hazy summer’s afternoon off the west coast. It marks the start of an intense work
Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) Vice Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk, visited Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain, July 13, to look at base operations and address base personnel on topics including, Perform to Serve, workforce stabilization and the value of the Navy remaining a force of top performers. Van
New technology to deter pirates is a key topic for discussion at this year’s SMM conference in Hamburg. Westmark BV’s patented P-trap anti-boarding device is now providing ship-owners with a non-lethal barrier to harden vessels against pirate attacks. The P-trap will be displayed to the public at th
On 13 July 2012, Rear Admiral Rainer Endres (German Navy) handed over the role of Deputy Operation Commander (DCOM) of the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta to Rear Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi (Italian Navy). The handover was conducted at the EU NAVFOR Operation Headq
The Sea Breeze 2012 Second Phase has been launched in Odesa involving Ukrainian, American, Turkish, and Georgian ships. During the exercise, the Navies of different countries work closely with coast and naval services. According to Ukrainian Captain First Rank Denis Berezovsky, militaries from 17 co
Guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) hosted a reception in Odessa, Ukraine, during Exercise Sea Breeze 2012, July 9. The reception was an opportunity for the ship to host military and civilian guests and celebrate the start of Exercise Sea Breeze 2012, the largest multinational mariti
Visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team members of guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) displayed maritime interdiction tactics with the Montenegrin military during a coalition training exercise July 9. The VBSS team and the maritime squadron of Montenegro’s special forces
On 27 June, Royal Navy personnel deployed to UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) joined in the celebrations for Armed Forces Day 2012 by hosting a charity cake sale and tea party at the British Embassy in Dubai and were joined by some very distinguished visitors. The event took place at the Embas
Fresh from a four-country exercise, HMS York has stopped in Tallinn on the last call of her Baltic deployment. Following a high profile visit to St Petersburg in Russia her crew had to be quick to prepare the Type 42 for a last-minute visit by Estonia’s Prime Minister Andrus Anslip. He toured the sh
