US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) recently concluded its assignment to Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) counter-terrorism and maritime security task force, Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150), operating in the North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. CTF-150 is a CMF multinational task f
A mine-hunting exercise in the Gulf turned up the real thing when Royal Navy ship HMS Chiddingfold found a live depth charge. The ship’s clearance divers were dispatched to dispose of the explosive during the incident in the Persian Gulf. The real-life scenario came as Royal Navy minehunters, based
HMS Kent, the Type 23 Frigate, has assumed a vital role protecting the French carrier strike group’s mission in the Middle East. Ushering in a new era of British and French military cooperation, HMS Kent has taken up the role of anti submarine warfare commander for the French aircraft carrier Charle
Carrying a load of guns aboard a vessel requires some serious maintenance. Given its massive weapon, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101) undergoes such maintenance fire tests once a month. The vessel’s MK 45 – 5-inch 54/62 caliber gun can fire 70-pound rounds up to
UK’s New RFA Tankers to Get Military Capabilities The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a £15 million contract to A&P Group to install high-end military capabilities in four new tankers so that they are ready for operations by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Philippine Navy to Receive Two Vessels from A
A Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship has been at the heart of a major exercise to safeguard oil platforms and harbours in the Persian Gulf. RFA Fort Austin was used as a stand in oil platform during a recent International Maritime Infrastructure Protection Exercise which tested the skills of navies and coas
The crew of HMS Penzance have tested navies safeguarding the Persian Gulf in an all-action exercise to attack one of Iraq’s crucial oil platforms. The minehunter joined American and Iraqi warships, and an Apache gunship, trying to wreak havoc at the northern tip of the Gulf by launching a mock attac
It was all change for HMS Atherstone as Mine Counter Measure Crew 6 left the Bahrain based ship and were replaced by Crew 1. Known as the “High Rollers”, Crew 6 were onboard HMS Atherstone for seven months carrying out maritime security and mine warfare operations in the Persian Gulf. After a challe
Chinese Warships Dock in Portsmouth, UK Three Chinese Naval ships were given a rapturous welcome as they arrived in Portsmouth for a formal visit aimed at enhancing military understanding between the UK and China. Damen Completes Build of Two FCS 5009 Patrol Vessels Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT)
USS Tortuga’s CO, XO Relieved of Duties USS Tortuga’s (LSD 46) Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Thomas Goudreau and Executive Officer, Cmdr. John Fleming, were relieved of their duties Dec. 16, due to loss of confidence in their ability to safely operate and navigate the ship and their credibility to lead
U.S. Marines and Sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), along with members of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, officially concluded exercise Red Reef 15 with a joint demonstration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dec. 16. Over the nine-day span, 11th MEU personnel worked, trained and liv
U.S. Marines and Sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), along with members of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, began exercise Red Reef 15 Dec. 7 in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. Red Reef is a biennial, bilateral exercise between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Ar
Representatives from international counter-piracy organisations, as well as nations deploying warships independently, have gathered in Bahrain to discuss how they can best work together to combat the threat posed to shipping by criminal gangs from Somalia. NATO chaired the 34th Shared Awareness and
The laser weapon system (LaWS) – a cutting-edge weapon that brings significant new capabilities to America’s Sailors and Marines – was for the first time successfully deployed and operated aboard a naval vessel in the Arabian Gulf. The operational demonstrations, which took place from September to N
