Commander Block took command of the ship following four years deployed to, or supporting, operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. On assuming command of the Portsmouth based frigate, he said “It is an immense honour to have been appointed in command of this highly sophisticated, well trained ship which
She worked for half a year to protect Britain’s interests in the Middle East and Indian Ocean, but now that job lies with another ship. HMS Westminster is on her way home having handed over to Devonport-based frigate HMS Sutherland. During her time Westminster – known as The Capital Ship – has disru
The Australia Shield is awarded annually to the most Operationally Capable squadron in the Fleet Air Arm. During the period 2011-2012, 847 NAS deployed on Op Herrick in Afghanistan, Op Ellamy off the coast of Libya, and supported numerous exercises, both in the UK and Norway. During early 2012, one
His Royal Highness, who is the Commodore-in-Chief of the Maritime Reserves landed on the ship in a Royal Navy Lynx helicopter and was escorted on a tour around the departments of the Amphibious Assault Ship by the Ship’s Commanding Officer Captain Alex Burton. The visit included an exhilarating trip
This historic event is related to the Crown’s authority over the City of London. During the middle ages, successive Kings believed it was their right to extract tolls from vessels on the Thames. On the King’s behalf, the Constable of the Tower of London was empowered to demand these tolls as a perqu
The eyes of the Tigers are now on watch over the Channel as helicopters from 814 Naval Air Squadron join the massive security effort shielding the Olympics. Merlins from the Culdrose-based squadron – known throughout the Fleet Air Arm as the Tigers – have decamped from Cornwall to RNAS Yeovilton in
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
During a handover ceremony at the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton Cdr Rimington took over the reins from Cdr Peter Hoare, who moves on to an appointment at the Fleet Headquarters in Portsmouth. “I have had a fantastic and rewarding time at 702 and although sad to be leaving such a great Squadron,
The helicopter carrier HMS Ocean will sail up the River Thames to berth at Greenwich on Friday evening (July 13) and will be open to visit by the public on Sunday (July 15) – a unique opportunity to tour the largest ship in the Royal Navy Fleet. After training exercises in May, HMS Ocean has [&helli
One of the Royal Navy’s new helicopters has landed on a British frigate during a trade visit by Korean officials. The Portsmouth-based warship HMS Lancaster welcomed the new Wildcat aircraft as South Korean naval aviators watched it land on and take off during a flying demonstration. The ‘Wildcat’ i
On the afternoon of 4 July, in the rough seas of the Gulf of Aden, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Italian Frigate Scirocco rescued a Comoros flagged supply vessel which had been adrift and in total black out for more than 13 hours. The entire operation lasted in excess of 24 hours and was conducted [&he
Gowind® offshore patrol vessel L’Adroit returned to her homeport of Toulon on 29 June 2012 after a two-month mission in the Mediterranean. DCNS has made the ship available to the French Navy for three years. The client Navies, in turn, is using the ship primarily for government missions at sea. Duri
Fresh from maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean, Merlins of 814 Naval Air Squadron decamped to Stavanger to hunt three diesel boats determined to ‘sink’ a German tanker. Normally they don’t make it quite as easy as this for the Navy’s top submarine hunters to find them… The tell-tale mas
Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced the launch of the second Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) at the Navantia shipyard in Spain. The launch represented a major milestone in the shipbuilding process and was attended by the Chief of Navy, Vice
