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
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
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
Providing a glimpse into the future of carrier strike operations, a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter has been captured hovering above the new Queen Elizabeth class carrier. Although the Merlin from 820 Naval Air Squadron at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose could not land on the ship, which is approachin
The first of the UK’s fleet of next-generation anti-submarine maritime patrol Merlin Mk2 helicopters have been delivered to the Royal Navy. The 5 helicopters have been handed over to the Fleet Air Arm following an upgrade as part of a £750 million contract with Lockheed Martin. Fitted with advanced
Maritime Action Ship ‘Meteoro’, homeported in Las Palmas (the Canary Islands), departed on deployment on July 15 to participate in counter-piracy operation ‘Atalanta’ in the Indian Ocean. The farewell ceremony was presided over by the Flag Officer of the Canary Islands Naval Command Gregorio Bueno M
Following a successful drugs bust on the island of Anguilla, a Royal Navy warship is now fully engaged in her new counter narcotics role. HMS Lancaster, one of the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates, recently helped the Royal Anguilla Police Force track down a series of cannabis plantations on the island
Last week EU Naval Force confirmed that the Malaysian flagged Motor Vessel, MV Albedo, held by armed pirates in an anchorage close to the Somali coast since November 2010, had sunk in rough seas. Since then EU Naval Force warships and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft have conducted sea and air searches in
The Ship’s Company of HMS Lancaster have been praised by police for helping detect three cannabis plantations in the Caribbean resulting in the seizure of 204 plants. HMS Lancaster is currently deployed on patrol in the North Atlantic and Caribbean and was on a visit to the island of Anguilla when t
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset hoisted the new Somerset County flag after being presented with it by the Chairman of Somerset County Council. Councillor David Fothergill presented the flag to the ship’s captain Commander Mike Smith on board during a weekend visit by council representatives from
Spanish frigate ‘Numancia’, integrated into the EUNAVFOR operation ‘Atalanta’ against piracy in the Indian Ocean, has been involved in an intense search for survivors of the merchant ship ‘Albedo’ sunken off the coast of Somalia. The ‘Albedo’, was hijacked on November 25th 2010 while on her way to M
Defence and security company Saab has signed a contract to deploy the Skeldar Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for maritime operations. Skeldar UAS will be operationally deployed with the customer before the end of this year and will be used in naval operations where the benefits of a Vertical Take Off
The FREMM multimission frigate on order for the Royal Moroccan Navy is pursuing sea trials off the French coast in preparation for delivery later this year. In June, French naval shipbuilder DCNS successfully completed a third series of trials to test the performance of the ship’s combat system. The
The British Navy has begun training the first aircrew to fly its next-generation helicopter, the Wildcat. Five Fleet Air Arm pilots and observers are undergoing conversion training at the new Wildcat Training Centre in RNAS Yeovilton right now with the helicopter, successor to the fabled Lynx, just
