Pilot Lt Ralphie Lorenz safely guides his Lynx helicopter back to ‘mother’ as HMS Argyll conducts an intensive training package in the Mediterranean on her way to the Gulf. In the coming weeks, the Devonport-based frigate will take over from HMS St Albans on the key maritime security mission in the
The German frigate FGS KOELN, participating in European Union Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta, has recently escorted M/V CAROLINE SCAN to the Kenyan port Mombasa. The ship is chartered by the World Food Programme and will be loaded with urgently needed food for the people in Somalia. Additi
HMS Ocean is resuming patrols off Libya after a short break in Crete to undergo essential maintenance following nearly three months of constant action. As she returned to sea, Britain’s biggest warship was visited by the Second Sea Lord, who thanked all aboard for the continuing sacrifices. Heading
HMS Ocean, the Royal Navy’s helicopter carrier, and her French counterpart, Mistral, a Marine nationale (French Navy) projection and command ship, are both operating attack helicopters as part of the NATO-led Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR, enforcing UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973 to prote
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset has recently taken over duties from sister ship HMS Monmouth in the Middle East. On her journey to relieve her sister ship, HMS Somerset paused at Souda Bay in Crete for an operational capability check at the NATO range to confirm the accuracy of her communications an
Members of HMAS Toowoomba and the Pakistan Navy’s PNS Alamgir swapped duties for a day during a recent exercise in the Gulf of Oman region of the Middle East. Between 17 and 18 August 2011, naval personnel from the two countries showcased their mariner skills and interoperability. The Commanding Off
HMS St Albans has played a key role in a major exercise in the Gulf testing the abilities of naval forces to defend the region’s scores of gas and oil platforms – vital to the UK and global economy. The Portsmouth-based frigate was Britain’s input to the week-long ‘Stakenet’ exercise, alongside the
The Royal Navy’s Flagship, HMS Albion, and its largest ship, HMS Ocean, are reunited off the coast of Libya for a transfer of stores, ammunition and personnel. The two Devonport based amphibious ships are both part of the Royal Navy’s Response Force Task Group, but for the past six weeks HMS Albion
The Cold War may be over but Royal Navy fliers have been keeping their submarine-hunting skills fresh. A Merlin helicopter flew from the frigate HMS St Albans to search the seas below for enemy boats. The aircraft from 829 Naval Air Squadron was designed to give the Navy the best chance of finding s
The Type 23 has been called away from the Response Force Task Group to become the primary surface combatant in support of the NATO Operation Unified Protector. Sutherland has already carried out her first boarding operation, under the auspices of UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973, and se
Apache helicopter pilots have found their sea legs on the unfamiliar setting of HMS Illustrious. The newly-refitted helicopter carrier – fresh from her £40m refit – has swapped Harrier jets for the imposing outlines of the Army gunships. Crews from 664 Squadron, 4 Regiment Army Air Corps, took the c
LAET Greg Coulter ‘dances‘ on the surface of the Indian Ocean as HMS Sutherland practises winching drills in the middle of a major amphibious exercise off the shores of Saudi Arabia. The Devonport-based Type 23 frigate is the escort for the Cougar 11 task group – the Navy’s key deployment of the yea
Ploughing through seas whipped up by the monsoon season, HMS Iron Duke and St Albans perform a traditional sail past in the Indian Ocean as one Portsmouth-based frigate hands over Gulf duties to another. The two ships – Iron Duck on the left here, the Saint on the right – saluted each other with jet
Five midshipmen from colleges across the United States arrived aboard aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) as part of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) summer cruise program, June 21. The midshipmen will be aboard for more than a month and will rotate through several department
