UK helicopter carrier HMS Ocean has reportedly been bought by Brazil. The purchase was confirmed by Brazilian defense minister Raul Jungmann, according to UK Defence Journal. Brazil is reportedly paying £84 million for the UK helicopter carrier which recently returned from her final deployment as a
The Royal Navy will have a total of 13 vessels and one of its four Vanguard-class submarines on deployment overseas and in home waters over the holiday season, according to the Royal Navy. What is missing from the list of deployed assets are any major warships as no frigates or destroyers are curren
LÉ Niamh, the first Irish Naval Service ship deployed as part of the EU Naval mission operation Sophia, has returned from the Mediterranean Sea. The ship, with a total of 57 members of the Defence Forces onboard, arrived at Haulbowline Naval Base, Cork in the morning hours of December 20, 2017. The
The Polish Navy decommissioned the first of its four Kobben-class submarines – ORP Kondor – in a ceremony at the naval port in Gdynia on December 20. With 50 years of service behind them, the remaining three submarines in the class are also set to be decommissioned in the near future. Kondor and its
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll recently carried out a test firing of the Sea Ceptor missile to verify the weapon system upgrade. The first firings of Sea Ceptor were conducted from HMS Argyll at the Hebrides range off the coast of Scotland and involved firing the system to assess its perfor
Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean returned home to naval base Devonport on December 19, concluding her final deployment as a commissioned Royal Navy ship. The ship was scheduled to enter Devonport on December 20, welcomed by families and friends, but a forecast of thick fog brought her final o
The Italian Navy has taken over command of the operation Sophia task force from the Spanish Navy in a ceremony at Italian naval base Taranto. On the occasion, Italian Navy Rear Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto replaced Spanish Navy Rear Admiral Javier Moreno as the new deputy force commander. Durin
The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Fasan has returned home from a five-deployment to the EUNAVFOR counter-piracy operation Atalanta. Fasan and her 133 crew departed the mission earlier this month and entered their homeport in La Spezia on December 18. During her time off the coast of Somalia, the
Russian president Vladimir Putin has submitted a draft bill to the lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly which would see Russia develop a fully functional naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus. The port is already in use by Russian warships which have been making port calls there since 1977.
The Royal Navy’s submarine service achieved a major milestone recently as a Vanguard submarine completed the country’s 350th deterrent patrol. As the country’s ultimate weapon, submarine operations and movements are kept a closely guarded secret, but the ‘Silent Service’ has temporarily broken its s
German Navy minehunter FGS Sulzbach-Rosenberg returned to its homeport in Kiel on December 12, concluding its NATO deployment. The minehunter spent the past five months as part of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1. The group spent time training and clearing mines in areas ranging from F
A NATO exercise involving warships from Italy, Greece and Turkey and the international merchant shipping community is taking place in the international waters of the central and eastern Mediterranean Sea. This focused security patrol is being conducted in coordination with a Naval Cooperation and Gu
German Navy tanker FGS Rhön is scheduled to return to its homeport in Wilhelmshaven on December 12, concluding a four-month deployment to the Mediterranean and North Sea. The ship spent four months with NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), supplying the warships with fuel and fresh water and oc
The UK’s new fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth entered Royal Navy service on December 7 after being commissioned by Her Majesty The Queen in a grand ceremony in Portsmouth. In her role as the ship’s lady sponsor, Her Majesty addressed guests before the ship’s commanding officer, Captain Jerry Kyd,