“Today we celebrate the 111th Birthday of the Australian Navy. 01 March is an important day for all of us to strengthen and remember our Australian heritage. It is a day to acknowledge the lives lost, the sacrifices made and the selfless service given by tens of thousands of fellow Australians who h
Exercise SQUADEX is currently being conducted in waters off Townsville and Cowley Beach in North Queensland and is the first of a series of two exercises in which Australia’s newest ship, HMAS Choules, conducts amphibious and flying operations with elements of the Australian Army. HMAS Choules deliv
HMAS Ballarat sailed from Garden Island, Sydney for a five month deployment around Australia and to North East Asia. The first stop for Ballarat is Western Australia, where she will participate in Exercise Triton Storm 2. Ballarat will later sail to North East Asia, participating in a number interna
A $300 million maintenance and repair contract for the Anzac Class Frigates will be negotiated with Naval Ship Management Australia, following their selection as preferred tenderer. Minister for Defence Materiel Senator Kim Carr said the new five-year contract was expected to provide better outcomes
The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Operational Issues Workshop, hosted by the Sri Lanka Navy under the direction of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake, commenced yrdyrday (28th February 2012). Director General Operations Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera inaugur
The Greek EU NAVFOR warship HS HYDRA used its recent port visit in Mombasa, Kenya, to support the Coast Province General Hospital and a local orphanage. In line with local support for countries of the Horn of Africa, HS HDRA provided medical supplies to the hospital. Medical supplies remain a scarce
United States Ambassador to Australia, Jeffrey Bleich, and US Consul General in Perth, Aleisha Woodward, today visited Austal’s Henderson facility. There they met with Austal’s Chairman John Rothwell after touring the facility where the designs for the US Navy’s Independence-variant Littoral Combat
The U.S. Navy has exercised contract options funding the construction of the eighth and ninth Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), as part of a ten-ship program potentially worth over US$1.6 billion. The construction contract for these vessels is valued at approximately US$321.7 million. Austal USA’s Pre
Rear Admiral Duncan Potts welcomed His Excellency President James Michel of the Seychelles; Mr Joel Morgan, his Minister for Home Affairs, Environment and Transport; the Hon Crispus Kiyonga, Ugandan Minister of Defence; Lt Gen Katuma Wamala, Commander Land Forces of the Ugandan Army; and Maj Gen Pau
Royal Navy Fishery Protection Vessel HMS Mersey was joined by her sister ships HMS Severn and HMS Tyne for the annual Fishery Protection Squadron Exercise last week. The exercise saw the ships put through their paces in a series of challenging combined evolutions at sea as well as team-building and
On 22 February 2012, the EU NAVFOR combat support warship FGS BERLIN responded to a distress signal from a tanker that was under attack by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden. On receipt of the radio call the FGS BERLIN immediately dispatched her two Seaking helicopters to the area while she close
NORWAY-based boat handling system and specialised davit supplier Vestdavit has been contracted by shipbuilder Austal to supply its state-of-the-art PLAR-6500 davits to eight new Cape Class Patrol Boats (CCPBs) to be built for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Austal will build th
The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) concluded a three-day engagement visit to Canberra and Darwin, Australia, Feb. 21. Adm. Mark Ferguson met with Chief of the Australian Navy Vice Adm. Ray Griggs and U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey L. Bleich, toured naval facilities, and delivered remarks to students
EU NAVFOR hosted a press conference on 20 February 2012 to present an update on Operation ATALANTA, piracy off the Horn of Africa and a view towards future developments. The briefing was hosted by Operation Commander Rear Admiral Duncan L. Potts with Deputy Operation Commander Rear Admiral Rainer En
