Finland will be hosting a total of 4,000 personnel and over 40 vessels for this year’s edition of the Baltic Sea drill Northern Coasts 2018 (NOCO). This will be the third time Finland is hosting the German Navy-led international exercise. According to the Finnish defense ministry, NOCO18 will involv
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) will be joining the largest NATO exercise which is set to take place in Norway later this month. This is likely the first time an aircraft carrier will be taking part in Trident Juncture – an exercise whose 2018 edition is often referred to as on
The Turkish Navy-hosted exercise Mavi Balina concluded on October 9, after a week of evolutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Mavi Balina consisted of a port phase which started September 27 and transitioned to the at-sea portion on September 30. The biannual anti-submarine warfare exercise also
The US Navy announced the names of further two littoral combat ships (LCS) on October 9. The Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer said the next Independence-variant LCS would be named USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) and the next Freedom-variant LCS would be named USS Beloit (LCS 29). Names of LCS 29
Austal USA, the US subsidiary of the Australian shipbuilder, has been awarded an additional $16.5 million contract for service work on one of US Navy’s Independence-class littoral combat ships. Specifically, the United States Department of Defence has awarded Austal USA $16,459,663 for a cost-plus-a
Sailors from the navies of Malaysia and the US kicked off Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Malaysia 2018 in Lumut, Malaysia, October 8. As noted by the US Navy, 2018 marks a significant growth in the relationship between the US and Malaysia as both partner navies expanded their role in this year’s 2
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman arrived into Portsmouth on October 6 for a port visit while on a Mediterranean Sea deployment. The carrier most recently visited France and Greece and will continue with her program early this week. Arriving early Saturday morning into a foggy Solent, she
Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier JS Kaga and guided-missile destroyer JS Inazuma arrived at Visakhapatnam, India, on October 7 as part of the Indo-Southeast Asia Deployment 2018. The JMSDF task group, commanded by Rear Admiral Tatsuya Fukada, Commander, Escort Flotilla
The Royal Canadian Navy’s first ship built under the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) project, Harry DeWolf, has been named at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard. Harry DeWolf is scheduled to be turned over to the Royal Canadian Navy in 2019. Work to prepare the ship for sea trials in 2019
Ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Counter Measures Group One (SNMCMG1) transited the Kiel Canal and arrived in Wismar, Germany, October 5, returning to the Baltic Sea for another routine patrol. The SNMCMG1 visit to Wismar included courtesy calls with local authorities, a force reception and ships ope
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has completed the sale of HII’s Avondale facility to Avondale Marine, a joint venture between terminal operator T.P. Host and real estate firm Hilco Redevelopment Partners. As part of cost-saving measures, HII announced in 2010 the decision to close the facility,
Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion has arrived in Oman ahead of the start of an exercise that will see the involvement of over 4,000 British personnel. Exercise Saif Sareea (Swift Sword) is the largest combined military exercise for UK forces since 2002 and HMS Albion will be in charge of
US Coast Guard’s national security cutter USCGC Strato returned home after a deployment in which operations spanned from the Arctic Ocean to the coasts of South America. Stratton’s crew began their deployment in the Arctic Ocean in support of Coast Guard District Seventeen and operation Arctic Shiel
At the beginning of October, the third of Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s new tankers headed to sea to begin military trials. RFA Tidesurge (A138) — one of four Tide-class ships built to support the new carriers and their battle groups — has already proven her seakeeping abilities courtesy as she arrived in
