The guided missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) deployed from its homeport of Norfolk on Sunday, Aug. 18. After a whirlwind year that included a successful shipyard maintenance availability and intensive certification and training period, Stout, led by Cmdr. Bob Alpigini, departed on a deployment to
Sailors and Marines assigned to dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) pulled into Cairns, Australia for a routine port visit, Aug. 15. “I’m very excited to be in Cairns,” said Fireman Recruit Daniel W. Sistare. “The people [in Australia] are very welcoming.” The visit followed Germantown’s compl
The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Newcastle has completed a week-long maritime security patrol in the Arabian Gulf. Assigned to the multi-national Combined Task Force 152 (CTF 152), Newcastle patrolled the gulf looking for signs of terrorist activity and destabilising activity. Newcastle’s Boardin
A twice-decorated submariner who undertook dangerous convoy missions to Malta in the Second World War and plotted mines before the 1944 South Coast of France landings has celebrated his 100th birthday. Captain William Hedley Kett DSC* RD* RNR served for six years (1940 – 46) under the sea during the
After three days of practice, NASA conducted a stationary recovery test of their latest space craft, the Orion, in the well deck of the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24) while berthed at Naval Station Norfolk’s Pier 12 on Aug. 15, 2013. This successful test of the four-man, 16-foot ca
On August 6th, after passing through the Suez Canal, navigating the Red Sea and crossing the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, the Spanish warship ESPS Meteoro has been integrated into the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. The ESPS Meteoro is the first of a series of four mod
Sailors assigned to the guided missile frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) have been training hard the week of Aug. 12-16 in preparation for their upcoming anti-terrorism certification scheduled for later this month. The Sailors, both officer and enlisted, have been demonstrating their ability to handle
Secretary of the U.S. Navy Ray Mabus announced on August 16th that the next Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named USS Indianapolis. USS Indianapolis, designated LCS 17, will be the fourth ship to bear the name. The previous Indianapolis is best known for its role in World War II,
The supervisor of salvage and diving (SUPSALV) coordinated with the Port of San Francisco to remove a World War II-era dry dock, Naval Sea Systems Command announced Aug. 15. The 610-foot long dry dock, owned by the Port of San Francisco, was built in 1942 for the U.S. Navy to repair ships during Wor
Global security company Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., based in Bethpage, N.Y., has received a $25.2 million-worth modification under previously awarded contract to provide three mission modules, support containers and engineering and production planning services for mission packages that will depl
On August 14, the United Nations Security Council called for a comprehensive regional approach to combat the threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, and reiterated its call on Member States to prosecute perpetrators in accordance with international laws. “The Security Counci
Yesterday Commander Task Force 465, Commodore Peter Lenselink, visited Commander Task Force 508, Commodore Henning Amundsen, on board HNoMS FRIDTJOF NANSEN to discuss ongoing counter-piracy operations. Combined Task Force 465 is the European Union Naval Force, which executes counter piracy Operation
Pirates will continue to prey on the lucrative West African oil trade, with more piracy and hijacking incidents expected in the Gulf of Guinea, as long as the political complexities surrounding naval presence in territorial waters continue, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalDat
On 14 August, whilst in Djibouti the FGS Augsburg handed over the German commitment to the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta to FGS Niedersachsen. The handover was presided over by Captain Stefan Pauly, Branch Head of Maritime Operations from the Joint Forces Operatio
