Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on May 1 that the U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $487 million, fixed-price-incentive-fee contract to its Ingalls Shipbuilding division to build the sixth National Security Cutter, Munro (WMSL 755). “Our Coast Guard customer continues to be extremely plea
The Navy will commission amphibious transport dock ship, Anchorage, in her namesake city of Anchorage, Alaska, May 4, at 10 a.m. (AKDT), during a ceremony at the Port of Anchorage. Anchorage is named in honor of the largest city in Alaska. Adm. Cecil Haney, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, will delive
The Navy announced the annual recertification of Special Duty Assignment Pay (SDAP) for Fiscal Year 2013 in a Navy message released April 30. SDAP is an incentive pay ranging from $75 to $450 a month used to entice qualified personnel to accept designated assignments and to sustain adequate manning
Portsmouth-based Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ledbury sails on Tuesday (May 7) for a four-month NATO mission in the Mediterranean. She will be working as part of a permanent multinational maritime force in the area known as Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). The group works througho
High speed vessel USNS Swift (HSV-2) completed testing of the TIF-25K Aerostat (unmanned blimp) and a Puma unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and departed Key West for Operation Martillio, a Countering Transnational Organized Crime (C-TOC) mission in the U.S. 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR) May 1.
The flagship of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), NRP Alvares Cabral has conducted a fast-rope insertion exercise on a World Food Programme (WFP) vessel, providing the opportunity for Portuguese sailors to meet their Finnish colleagues embarked on the WFP ship as an Autonomous Vessel Protection Detach
Divers from minehunter HMS Middleton swapped England’s south coast for the warm waters of Gibraltar for a week of high-tempo training. The five-strong team made full use of the facilities on the Rock, practising search techniques, helping stricken divers, lifting mines from the seabed and carrying o
Minister for Defence Materiel Dr Mike Kelly MP toured on April 30 the BAE Williamstown shipyard and Australia’s first Amphibious Assault Ship Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) NUSHIP Canberra. “BAE Systems Australia are the prime contractor for the LHD ships and are building the sizable superstructures,
On April 30 Minister for Defence Stephen Smith met in Auckland with his New Zealand counterpart, Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman, in the run up to travelling to Tonga to attend the inaugural South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting. He was accompanied by the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Se
The Royal Navy’s HMS Charger will visit Northwich this Saturday and Sunday (May 4-5), taking her more than 20 miles inland – rather an unusual place to find one of the UK’s maritime fighting force. HMS Charger is the Universities Royal Naval Unit patrol vessel for Liverpool and Lancaster universitie
Protecting World Food Programme (WFP) shipments to Somalia is a core task for EU Naval Force Somalia; ensuring the safe transportation of humanitarian aid to the Somali people. In 2013, WFP aims to bring humanitarian assistance to an estimated population of 1.56 million in Somalia. Since the beginni
The Commanding Officers of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship, HMS Bulwark, and HNLMS Rotterdam found a lull in the action of Exercise Joint Warrior to establish an affiliation between the two amphibious ships and recognise the strong relationship between their respective navies and amphibious forces.
Only 36 hours after taking over the Gulf patrol duties from HMS Monmouth, HMS Dragon seized a unique opportunity to replenish her fuel supplies. Whilst this is not an unusual method of sustaining a unit on Operations it would normally involve just two units side by side at sea. On this occasion howe
The Deputy Operation Commander (DCOM) of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), Rear Admiral Eric Dupont recently visited the Republic of the Seychelles in support of the opening of the new EUCAP NESTOR Seychelles Office. During the visit Rear Admiral Dupont conducted joint talks with the Head of Mission of EU
