German Navy naval school Mürwik officially accepted delivery of a new nautical training facility from German defense contractor Rheinmetall in a ceremony on December 6. Ordered almost exactly three years ago, the system – known as the “Ausbildungsausstattung Nautische Schiffsführung”, or AANS – will
Royal Navy Type 23 frigates HMS Westminster and HMS Monmouth returned to their homeports in Portsmouth and Devonport, respectively, on December 14. Westminster returned after an eight-week stint in the North and Baltic Sea where she trained with other NATO and ally ships as part of NATO’s largest ex
The UK and France have every interest in successfully completing the future cruise/anti-ship weapon (FC/ASW) program, the House of Commons Defence Committee and the Assemblée nationale’s Standing Committee on National Defence and the Armed Forces said in a joint report. The report marks the culminat
The European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) celebrated ten years of maritime operations on December 8. Commanded from its military HQ in Northwood, London, the European Union Naval Force was officially launched on December 8, 2008. Codenamed Operation Atalanta, it is a naval force generated by EU Mem
US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) returned to her homeport of Mayport, Florida, Dec. 4, after nine weeks of operations in the northern Atlantic Ocean. As flagship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), the ship returned to sea after completing a six-month deployment to part
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) trained with Egyptian Navy vessels after concluding a visit to the Egyptian Navy base in Alexandria on December 4. Although hampered by the weather conditions, the passing exercise consisted of a tactical maneuvering exercise, helicopter operatio
UK defense contractor QinetiQ confirmed that it has added Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to the naval combat systems integration support service (NCSISS) it provides in partnership for the Royal Navy. Confirmation of the £9 million contract extension follows the company’s announcement earli
The Norwegian defense ministry has shared a detailed, and illustrated, plan of how it plans to salvage the HNoMS Helge Ingstad which has been sitting on the sea bottom in the Hjeltefjorden fjord after colliding with a tanker on November 8. While the plan provides no timetable on when the operation w
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) worked out with the Italian Air Force in the Mediterranean Sea on November 29. F/A-18s from Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier worked with Italian Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft. “Every time we fl
After concluding a visit to the Algerian port of Algiers last week, NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) arrived in Marmaris, Turkey, for a port call on November 27. The group is conducting the visits after resuming regular Mediterranean Sea patrols following their participation in NATO’s major
German Navy combat support ship EGV Bonn is getting underway from her Wilhelmshaven homeport on November 30 to join NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2) in the Aegean Sea. The 173-meter-long Berlin-class replenishment ship is joining SNMG2 after completing an overhaul which started in August 20
Navy ships deployed to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) stopped in Karlskrona, Sweden, for a port visit from November 23 to 25. The port visit included visits to local military and civilian officials as well as tours of the ships f
The second of the Royal Navy’s two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers has fired up her engines for the first time. Engineers aboard HMS Prince of Wales turned on the diesel generators in a milestone on the road to sending the 65,000-ton warship to sea in the second half of next year. In the bo
Months of rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the Sea of Azov escalated on Sunday when Russian forces first fired upon and subsequently seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels as they were trying to enter the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait. Latest reports say six Ukrainian sailors were i
