The Spanish Navy’s frigate ‘Reina Sofía’ (F-84) has just departed from Rota Naval Base towards the Mediterranean to integrate into the Second Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG-2) whose mission is to enhance and warrant the security in that Sea. During her deployment in the NATO Task Group, the ‘Rei
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Argus is preparing for a journey to Sierra Leone as part of the UK’s leading role in response to the Ebola outbreak. The members of the Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Royal Marines will deploy to West Africa later this week taking three Merlin helicopters and ai
On 5 October, EU Naval Force Warship, FGS Berlin conducted her twenty-first and final Replenishment at Sea (RAS) as part of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta with the EU Naval Force Flagship ITS Andrea Doria. The EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando and nine members of th
Merlin helicopters, Royal Marines and the Royal UK Navy’s ‘floating clinic’ RFA Argus will join the fight to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa. Three Merlins from 820 Naval Air Squadron will join Argus and sail to Sierra Leone to support UK’s growing effort on land to deal wit
Recently, whilst conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden in an area with a large number of fishing vessels, EU Naval Force Warship ESPS Navarra conducted a friendly approach on a dhow. To help strengthen mutual understanding and trust between the EU Naval Force and local seafarers,
The Italian Navy engaged in three rescue operations saving the lives of hundreds of migrants that reached the Strait of Sicily from the North African coasts onboard rickety boats on Friday. ITS Sirio rescued 105 migrants from an inflatable boat. The vessel then reached the Singaporean motor ship S
EU Naval Force frigate, ESPS Navarra, has resumed her counter-piracy patrols in the Indian Ocean after a short visit to the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The visit was an opportunity for the crew to resupply the ship and have some rest and recuperation after spending a number of we
VIDEO: US Navy Hires Kongsberg for NSM Testing Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KONGSBERG) is contracted by the US Navy to test fire KONGSBERG’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) under the Foreign Comparative Testing program. SINKEX Units Sink Former USS Fresno Ships
Whilst conducting EU counter-piracy patrols in the Horn of Africa, the Belgian EU Naval Force frigate, BNS Leopold I, has conducted friendly approaches on a dhow and several skiffs near the Somali coast. The dhow was initially sighted by BNS Leopold I’s Alouette III helicopter during a reconnaissa
Between 6 – 7 September, the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando took the opportunity to embark HNLMS Van Speijk and BNS Leopold I. Both frigates recently joined the EU Naval Force to conduct EU counter-piracy operations and they will remain in the area of operations off the coast of Soma
Marine Helicopter Crashes in the Gulf of Aden A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) crashed at 2:00 p.m. (GMT), yesterday, at sea in the Gulf of Aden as it attempted to land aboard USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19). HMS Queen Elizabeth Unde
On Tuesday 2 September the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, welcomed the Commander of the Japanese Escort Task Group, Captain Tsutomu Okawa, on board the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria. Both ships are conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. The Japanese Es
US DoD Expresses Concern to China for Dangerous Intercept The US Defense Department has expressed its concern to Chinese diplomatic officials about an Aug. 19 incident in which an armed Chinese fighter jet conducted a dangerous intercept of a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft, Pentagon Press Se
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën is on her way home after a successful three months deployment to the EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta, the counter-piracy mission of the European Union. Before joining Operation Atalanta, the ship conducted two-weeks of pre-deployment training on her way to the Suez Cana