HMS Portland became the first Royal Navy Ship to visit São Tomé and Príncipe in 29 years when she anchored off the islands for a two day visit. The last Royal Navy Ship to visit the islands was the survey vessel HMS Herald in 1985. Prior to that, the last recorded visit of a […]
The staff of the US Navy’s Destroyer Squadron has embarked the Royal Navy ship HMS Illustrious to participate in Joint Warrior 14-1 March 31. Joint Warrior 14-1 is a semiannual, United Kingdom-led training exercise designed to provide NATO and allied forces a unique, multi-warfare environment in w
On Sunday 6 April, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean (French Navy) handed over the Force Command of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta to Rear Admiral Jürgen zur Mühlen (German Navy) during a Change of Command ceremony held on board FS Siroco in the Port of Djibouti. Deputy Operation C
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield deployed its towed pinger locator (TPL) for the first time on the morning of 4 April, as part of its ongoing search for missing Flight MH 370. Almost 600 nautical miles west of Exmouth, the TPL was towed around 3,500 metres below the surface along the p
After more than 30 years of Naval service, crew members, plankowners, family members and friends gathered at Naval Station Mayport April 4, to bid farewell to the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS De Wert (FFG 45) during a decommissioning ceremony. De Wert completed its last deployment Dec. 23
More than 4,000 guests watched as the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) joined the Navy’s surface fleet during a commissioning ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, Calif., April 5. Coronado is the fourth littoral combat ship, the second of the Independence variant, commi
On Monday 31st March, the Royal Navy took a major step forward in developing a framework to allow Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) to be deployed from its anti-submarine warfare warships. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Service and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) was signed whi
Last week German Navy frigate, FGS Brandenburg, completed her transit through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea towards the waters of the Gulf of Aden to start counter piracy operations with the EU Naval Force Somalia, Operation Atalanta. The Suez Canal, which is 162 kilometres in length is an extrem
On Monday, 1 April 2014, the NATO counter-piracy task force (CTF-508) frigates ESPS CRISTOBAL COLON and ITS FRANCESCO MIMBELLI conducted an Air Defence Exercise (ADEX) with USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH and USS PHILIPPINE SEA, testing their surface warfare and anti-air warfare skills. Before commencing the
On Wednesday 2 April, German Navy frigate, FGS Hessen departed the waters of the Gulf of Aden and headed for home after completing four months of counter piracy patrols with the EU Naval Force. After a short port stop in Malaga, Spain, FGS Hessen will arrive in her home port in Wilhelmshaven on Th
U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. has received a $21.3 million completion type contract to provide the United Kingdom (UK) with engineering and technical support services and deliverable materials for the UK Trident II Missile System. This contract provides for technical pl
Sailors and Marines from several East Coast-based expeditionary commands conducted an in port maritime staff exercise onboard USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) March 27-31 to refine their collective ability to respond to crises. The exercise scenario tested the group’s evaluation of, and response to, a large s
The Russian takeover of Crimea from Ukraine has NATO allies worried, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday (April 1). Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told reporters traveling with him that one of Russia’s reasons for invading Crimea was to protect ethnic Russians living there.
The frigate ‘Cristóbal Colón’ and the OPV ‘Relámpago’ visited Doha (Qatar) during the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2014) Both warships made the most of their scheduled port calls in support of the national defense industry in what is considered the most imp
