U.S. Navy’s amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) made history May 23 as she became the first ship of her kind to have an MV-22B Osprey land on her flight deck. The MV-22B and crew are part of “The Thunder Chickens” of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263), based out of Marine
The Russian Navy will commission the second Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate Admiral Essen on May 27, Yantar Shipyard announced May 23. Admiral Essen will be transferred to the Russian Navy a day before the flag-raising ceremony, Yantar added. The Kaliningrad-based shipyard is responsible for the c
U.S. Navy’s Marine-aviation optimized amphibious assault ship USS America departed its homeport of San Diego for flight deck recertifications on May 16. This was done to prepare the ship for its future role as part of Amphibious Squadron 3 and Expeditionary Strike Group 3. Just short of 36 hours aft
Spanish Navy’s F-100 frigate Méndez Núñez is scheduled to integrate into the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 until the end of September. The Méndez Núñez (F-104) will relieve her sister ship Álvaro de Bazán (F-101). Spanish Navy Rear Admiral José Enrique Delgado Roig took command of SNMG-1 in Decembe
Ships from the U.S. and the Royal Thai Navy kicked off the Exercise Guardian Sea in the Andaman Sea on May 23. The bilateral naval training in which the two navies will hone skills in anti-submarine warfare and maritime domain awareness is set to last until May 27. This year’s Guardian Sea exercise
The U.S. Navy christened the amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27) on May 20 in front of approximately 1,000 guests. Ship’s sponsor, Bonnie Amos, smashed a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow of the ship, officially christening Portland. U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Christopher Owens, direc
The Royal Navy of Oman has taken possession of the first High Speed Support Vessel, RNOV Al Mubshir. The RNOV Al Mubshir is the first of two 72 metre High Speed Support Vessels (HSSVs) to be delivered to the Royal Navy of Oman under a US$124.9 million design, construct and integrated logistics suppo
A U.S. Navy Commander responsible for the Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 attached to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis recently completed completed his 1,000th career carrier-arrested landing, or trap, aboard the carrier. Capt. Rich “Snap” Brophy flew a F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to
Sailors aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s frigate HMAS Anzac formed the number 20 on the flight deck to mark the ship’s 20th Birthday at sea during the South East Asia Deployment 2016. The lead ship of the Anzac class of frigates was launched on September 16, 1994 and commissioned May 18, 1996. Ten
U.S. Navy’s Blue Ridge-class command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) on May 16 departed Gaeta, Italy, to prepare for the upcoming BALTOPS 2016. BALTOPS is an annually recurring multinational exercise designed to demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region. Mount Whit
The U.S. Navy is looking to deploy a small, tube-launched unmanned aircraft system that deploys from under the surface of the sea, on manned submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles. The system is named Blackwing™ and is being developed by the American technology company AeroVironment. AeroVironm
The Royal Australian Navy formally commissioned the Brisbane Navy Headquarters – South Queensland as HMAS Moreton during a ceremony held May 14. Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, was joined by government officials to mark the significant occasion. “The Navy last commissioned an establishment
One Spanish and one Royal Morocco Navy frigate met in the Gulf of Cadiz to conduct the bilateral exercise MAES-16 from May 4 – 12. Spanish Santa Maria-class frigate Canarias and Moroccan Sigma-class frigate Allal Ben Abdellah carried out a series of training activities in the Gulf of Cadiz under the
EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta has welcomed back the Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Santa Maria. The ship was previously deployed on Op Atalanta in 2011 and will be conducting counter-piracy patrols over the coming five months. ESPS Santa Maria has an embarked Seahawk helicopter on board, allowing her to
