Twenty-five ‘Tercio de Armada’ Marines left Rota Naval Base on board the Royal Netherlands Navy ship ‘Rotterdam’ to take part in the Africa Partnership Station 2013 program, along with other Marine Corps instructors from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. Africa Partnership S
On Friday 30 August, Commodore Peter Lenselink and members of his staff visited German frigate FGS Niedersachsen, which is currently part of the EU’s counter piracy task force off the coast of Somalia. During his visit, Commodore Lenselink visited the different departments on board and met members o
Two Russian Navy warships, an anti-submarine ship and a guided-missile cruiser, have been sent to the Mediterranean Sea amid announced airstrikes of the West against Syria, Reuters reported. What is more, a third warship, the reconnaissance ship Priazovye is about to join its counterparts soon, as i
Spanish frigate ‘Blas de Lezo’ left the Military Arsenal of Ferrol to begin the second phase of her deployment as command ship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2). The Spanish Navy warship had previously departed Ferrol on June 4th to integrate into this Standing Escorts Group in the Mediterr
An international task force of Marines embarked the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) landing platform dock HNLMS Rotterdam (L800) as part of a 3-month comprehensive effort to strengthen capabilities with African partner forces in West Africa on Aug. 30. The ship and combined security cooperation task f
Under cover of darkness the first landing craft stealthily departed HMS Bulwark marking the start of exercise Albanian Lion. Over the course of four days hundreds of Royal Marines, supported by Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels as well as elements of the Army, will enter a fictional natio
A Royal Navy Officer recently ‘hitched a ride’ across the Red Sea onboard HMAS Newcastle, while trying to make his way home to England. The unsuspecting Brit got a real surprise when he was greeted on the flight deck of the Australian ship by a long term friend and former RN colleague who had latera
EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta warship ESPS Meteoro recently evacuated a member of the ships crew who had a medical issue. The ship had been conducting counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. The ship broke from counter-piracy operations and clo
Royal Navy vessel HMS Severn is now back on patrol following her presence at the world-famous Edinburgh Tattoo. The patrol ship, which is one of three sister ships in the Portsmouth-based Fishery Protection Squadron, was berthed at Leith Docks on the outskirts of Edinburgh. From here she supported t
Sailors and staff at HMS Collingwood said goodbye to Commodore Mike Mansergh CBE and welcomed Captain Steve Dainton CBE as he officially took Command of HMS Collingwood and the Maritime Warfare School. Commodore Mansergh handed over the 200-acre Fareham establishment together with the wider aspects
On Thursday morning, 29 August 2013, three NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) arrived in Sevastopol for a scheduled visit to the Black Sea port. Under the command of Commander Matthias Seipel, German Navy, the Group includes the flagship FGS MOSEL and FGS
The Commander of Naval Striking and Support Forces at NATO (STRIKFORNATO), Vice Admiral Frank Pandolfe USN, has paid a visit to the Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship HMS Bulwark. VAdm Pandolfe took the opportunity to visit the ship while she was alongside in Lisbon as part of a multi-national exercised ca
On Tuesday 27 August, Commodore Peter Lenselink, Force Commander of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta and a delegation of his staff visited the Italian warship ITS Zeffiro, conducting counter piracy operations as part of EU NAVFOR in the Gulf of Aden. During the visit, he met mem
On 20th of August 2013, the ships of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) joined in Exercise OPEN SPIRIT 2013, the largest Historical Ordnance Disposal exercise in the Baltic this year. OPEN SPIRIT is a Lithuanian-led annual multinational Partnership for Peace naval mine clearance
