After seven months away from home, 1,000 loved ones finally got to see them in the flesh as Britain’s biggest warship, HMS Ocean, returned to Plymouth. The ship – which has hit the news around the world this week thanks to a spoof Mariah Carey video (endorsed by the diva herself) – arrived back unde
French shipbuilding corporation DCNS has started development of technical documentation to adapt Mistral-class assault landing ships for Russian conditions, reported the shipyard’s press service on Dec 7. “We’re working on conditioning of the ship’s deck for Russia’s specifications. In particular, t
Baltic Fleet (BF) frigate Yaroslav Mudry and replenishment tanker Lena on Dec 7 left BF main naval base Baltiysk heading for the North Sea. The long-range cruise of BF task unit under command of Capt 1 rank Alexander Ivanovsky will be held in accordance with the Russian Navy Combat Training Plan. Th
Saab technicians are today commencing their training in the Swedish Armed Forces’ new helicopter system, the HKP16 Black Hawk. The training begins with a week-long introductory course and is followed by a complete course regarding the UH-60M Black Hawk. Sweden, via the Defence Materiel Administratio
Crews of the Baltic Fleet (BF) frigate Yaroslav Mudry and replenishment tanker Lena have completed preparations for a long-range cruise. They have performed a number of qualification drills in the Baltic Sea, practiced joint maneuvering and underway astern refueling. Frigate Yaroslav Mudry has carri
Families and friends of sailors serving on board HMS St Albans and HMS Edinburgh gathered at Portsmouth Naval Base on Friday, 2 December, to greet their loved ones returning from overseas deployments. HMS St Albans, a Type 23 frigate, returned from a six-month deployment to the Middle East where she
JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) and Baltiysky Zavod shipyard on Dec 2 signed a RUR 2.5-bln agreement providing that the yard’s productive capacities would participate in construction of hulls of two Mistral-class assault landing ships, reports RIA Novosti. The document was endorsed by pres
From the 21th to 26th of November HMA Ships Warramunga (Commander Michael Turner) and Sirius (Commander David McDonald) participated in Exercise New Horizon 11 with Indonesian warships KRI Frans Kaisiepo and KRI Halim Perdanakususma. The exercise consisted of a Harbour Phase and a Sea Phase, conduct
France begins construction of the first Mistral-class assault landing ship for Russian Navy, advance has been obtained, reported RIA Novosti referring to a spokesman for the French state-led defense company DCNS. The EUR 1.2-bln contract for construction of two French Mistral-class helicopter carrie
The Royal Navy has once again struck a blow to Somali piracy operating in the Indian Ocean. On 28 November, RFA Fort Victoria was patrolling in an area approximately 420 nautical miles from the Seychelles and 350 nautical miles from the Somali coast as part of NATO’s Combined Task Force 508. Early t
Sailors from HMS Montrose near the top of Jacob’s Ladder, rising 600ft above Jamestown, capital of St Helena. The frigate’s quest to visit all Britain’s territories in the South Atlantic while she conducts her six-month deployment of the southern ocean continued with another rare port of call. Fresh
Test flights of unmanned helicopter system for Russian Coast Guard were successfully held at the Black Sea, told press service of JSC Gorizont to Central Navy Portal. First takeoff and landing of unmanned helicopter system Gorizont Air S-100 took place on Nov 26, 2011 near Novorossiysk on board Proj
A sailor from HMS Illustrious dons a hard hat to begin searching a collapsed building in the ill-starred Devonshire village of Bull Point after a hurricane tore through and caused mayhem. Some 80 members of the carrier’s ship’s company were sent ashore, using the helicopter assault ship’s sea boats
After successful platform trials, handover to the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation(DMO) and initial tests by the Royal Netherlands Navy the first OPV Holland returned to DAMEN Schelde Naval Shipbuilding in Vlissingen for the installation of the Integrated Mast Module (IMM). The installation