Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has launched its largest warship since World War II, according to media reports. The Izumo-class helicopter destroyer was officially unveiled at Yokohama on 6 August 2013. This unveiling occurred at a time of heightened tensions over several small disputed i
Tough love, long hours and relentless travel may be what characterises a posting to the Sea Training Group (STG), but so too does passion, patience, adaptability and subject matter expertise, as was observed during HMAS Ballarat’s Unit Readiness Evaluation, from 29 to 30 July. Members of the “Green
The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), along with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed their Certification Exercise (CERTEX) on Aug. 7. CERTEX is a comprehensive set of training exercises that combines Navy and Marine Corps amphibious capabilities. “The single most essential objective
The Lynx Wildcat Maritime Force (LWMF) was awarded the prestigious Australia Shield on 26 July by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas KCB DSC ADC, at a ceremony held at 815 Naval Air Squadron based at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. The Australia Shield, a gift from
A group of NUSHIP Canberra personnel laid eyes on the ship they will soon call home during their first visit to Williamstown Dockyard in Victoria last week. Most were surprised at the sheer size of Canberra and appreciated the opportunity to explore the ship for the very first time. At 230 metres in
90 Young Officers from the Japanese Training Squadron, on-board three Japanese Ships currently alongside in Portsmouth Harbour visited the Maritime Warfare School, HMS Collingwood and the School of Marine Engineering, HMS Sultan during the afternoons of Tue 23 Jul and Wed 24 Jul 13. The purpose of t
The upgraded Anzac Class frigate HMAS Perth is ready for action after recently completing a successful Unit Readiness Evaluation (URE) that tested the crew’s competence across all aspects of ship operations. Navy’s Sea Training Group—a team comprised of specialists from all ship borne disciplines—em
Three Japanese warships have arrived in Portsmouth for a 4-day visit to help forge closer links with the Royal Navy. The ships belong to the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force Training Squadron and are visiting as part of a 5-month global deployment. The squadron comprises training vessel Japanese
HMAS Newcastle has continued the multi-national fight against terrorism in the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) with a focused operation targeting weapons and drug smugglers operating in the Red Sea. The narrow sea is commonly used by smugglers to ferry weapons and drugs between Africa and the
Sydney was abuzz on Saturday, 13 July with the arrival of United States Navy, USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) docking at Garden Island, Sydney for a port visit. The command ship of the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet, the Blue Ridge with her 52 officers and 790 enlisted personnel, arrived in Sydney ahead of her schedul
Following several weeks of intense training, in trying environmental conditions, HMAS Melbourne fought valiantly for Mission Readiness as she prepared her forthcoming deployment. Inclement weather, a condensed time frame for the training program and adjacent Fleet activities created some unique chal
The Solomon Islands saw some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, so it is hardly surprising that a great deal of unexploded ordnance still litters many of the islands to this day. Between 19 June and 5 July 2013, Australian Clearance Divers from the MCD Group, a part of an International Joint
A new helicopter to be used by both the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army has been inducted into the Australian Defence Force Fleet during a commissioning ceremony at HMAS Albatross, near Nowra, NSW. The ceremony also marked the formal induction of 808 Squadron to operate the new MRH 90 Taip
HMAS Newcastle has combined with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLA-N) warship Mianyang to search for survivors of a damaged fishing trawler in Middle Eastern waters. Newcastle and Mianyang worked together to conduct a search and rescue operation in the Indian Ocean, 350 nautical miles
