The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) was certified ready for sea after successfully completing Crew Certification Phases II and III, May 2. Crew Certification is a five-day process where the Immediate Superior in Command (ISIC) ensures a ship is ready to
Thursday night, 10 April 2014, was another beautiful night on the deck of HMAS Choules when “Hands to Flying Stations” was called. Contently walking towards the Helicopter Control Console, the Ship’s Aviation Officer (SAVO) Lieutenant Commander John Sime, set up for yet another night of flying. Th
Guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61) returned to its Naval Station Norfolk homeport May 4 after a nine-month deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Ramage, which deployed Aug. 7, 2013, supported maritime security operations and conducted theater security cooperation efforts d
The Royal Australian Navy’s developing Romeo capability has achieved another significant milestone with the first ab-initio Pilots and Aviation Warfare Officers (AvWO) graduating recently from MH-60R Operational Flying Training (OFT) Course Number One in Jacksonville, Florida. The course included
Command of USS Stout (DDG 55), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, officially changed hands during a ceremony May 2 at Naval Station Norfolk. Cmdr. Andrew Fitzpatrick assumed command from Cmdr. Bob Alpigini. Past and present crew members, friends, and family attended the time-honored change of comma
On 30 April, container ship MV Jumme Trader launched a SOS message after a crew member became very ill. The SOS was picked up by the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg and the Force Commander on board immediately directed EU Naval Force French warship, FS Floréal, to provide medical assistance
USA: Babcock & Wilcox Company Gets USD 195 Million Naval Reactors Contracts The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) announced yesterday that its subsidiary B&W Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. (B&W NOG) has received contracts and orders from the U.S. Naval Reactors Program worth approximately $195 million.
A £36M (USD 60.6M) contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been placed with MBDA for the Land variant of the Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADSLand). This will fund an Assessment Phase that will demonstrate the adaptation and evolution of core weapon system subsystems (e.g. co
Leidos was awarded a United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) competitive acquisition subcontract for Combatant Craft Medium Mk-1 (CCM Mk1). The contract will include production of low observable systems, integration and testing of craft tactical computing systems, full life-cycle integr
On April 17th, a boarding team of HNLMS Evertsen of the Dutch Navy boarded BigLift’s Happy Dragon in a drill against piracy. The drill took place in the Gulf of Aden. HNLMS Evertsen and Happy Dragon met out at sea to practice a so-called boarding operation. Happy Dragon assumed the part of a captu
On Thursday 1 May Latvia celebrated its 10th anniversary as a member of the European Union. During the past decade Latvian National Armed Forces have made a significant contribution to EU operations, including the EU’s counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia, Operation Atalanta. Latvian Na
Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) partners and stakeholders gathered for a two-day open house at Naval Base San Diego, April 29-30. The purpose of the DSCA open house is to enhance cooperation between the U.S. military and civilian emergency management authorities. DSCA support includes
It was a breezy dawn under a cloudy Indian Ocean sky that greeted the men and women serving in HMAS Perth on Anzac Day 2014. The quiet sounds of the ocean mingled with that of the ship’s engines as frigate birds went about their breakfast fishing. The crew of 200 formed up on the […]
The crew of guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) was named winner of the 2014 Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award for Food Service Excellence, April 29. Secretary of the U.S. Navy, Ray Mabus, announced the winners via official naval message in ALNAV 031/14 where John Paul Jones b