On the evening of 28 February/1 March 1942, two proud ships fought together against overwhelming odds by facing the Japanese Western Java Invasion Convoy in the midst of the Sunda Strait. HMAS Perth (I) and USS Houston were both torpedoed and sank within 30 minutes of the other, consigning almost a
9 August 1942 is a date that will always be remembered by the Royal Australian Navy for it was on this day that it suffered its largest warship loss at sea. 70 years later, HMA Ships Gascoyne and Huon positioned themselves over the final resting place of HMAS Canberra (I), fell silent and remembered
Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 43 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler on 14th August 2012. The trawler named “Wasana” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Western Naval Command 20 nautical miles west of Negombo. Among the arrested are 33 Tamils and 10 Sin
On 13 August the Luxembourg Maritime Patrol Aircraft Detachment deployed in support of the EU anti-piracy operation ATALANTA passed its 4.000th operational flight hour during its 707th operational sortie in theatre. This milestone occurred when Captain SOLOMON and his crew were crossing the equator
Counter piracy forces from the EU Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) Operation Atalanta and NATO disrupted two pirated dhows and freed the crew taken hostage in the Gulf of Aden. On 10 August, a suspicious dhow, reportedly pirated in Bosaso – Somalia, was located off the coast of Oman by the Spanish EU
After a three day hunt by NATO and EU counter piracy forces, HNLMS Rotterdam in close cooperation with EU unit FGS Sachsen, has successfully disrupted a pirated dhow. This end game took place in the coastal waters of Somalia. The crew has been freed and is in good condition. The suspected pirates wi
The surge in Somali pirate attacks has been wiped out completely based on the figures for this month, which has been the first full month without pirate attacks since 2007, The Telegraph writes. Based on the data released by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the last attempted boarding and fi
On Tuesday 7 August 2012 seven Somali men were found guilty by a Kenyan court of attempting to commit an act of piracy against a French fishing vessel, MV Captain St Vincent, off the Somali Coast in October 2009. Following the terrifying attack, the pirates, operating in 2 attack skiffs, were locate
This week FGS Sachsen has taken up station patrolling the Gulf of Aden, under the command of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR). She will shortly relieve fellow German frigate FGS Bremen which has served so successfully in countering-piracy with EUNAVFOR since May of this year. Bremen has mad
In a ceremony held on Monday 6 August 2012, on board French warship FS Marne, French Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis handed over sea command of the EU Naval Force to Italian Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino, embarked on the new EU flagship ITS San Giusto. The ceremony was presided over by the EU Nav
The world’s largest international maritime exercise, Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), officially concluded Aug. 3. The 23rd exercise in the biennial RIMPAC series, this year’s version involved 22 nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, and more than 200 aircraft that operated in and around
Senior military officials, including eight flag officer from over 15 nations including the UK, US, Italy, Norway, Finland, France, The Netherlands, Poland, Philippines and Australia will gather in London along with leading industry experts at the 3rd Annual Amphibious Operations between 25 – 27 Sept
HMAS Perth has completed an advanced air warfare weapons event during a multinational firing serial at Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012, the world’s largest maritime exercise in Hawaii. HMAS Perth joined HMAS Darwin in a six-ship formation with Canadian and US ships that conducted a coordin
Australian Navy Clearance Divers are playing a key role at RIMPAC 2012, both in Hawaii and on the US mainland. Their focus is on mine countermeasures – the largest collection of Mine Counter Measures (MCM) capacity ever deployed by Australia on this exercise. Commander Doug Griffiths is in charge of