Defense Strategies
This is where Royal Navy frigates will be homeported after reshuffle
The UK defense ministry has announced a new homeporting plan for the Royal Navy’s thirteen Type 23 frigates. After the relocation is complete, all eight anti-submarine warfare frigates will be calling Plymouth their home, while the remaining five general-purpose variants will be based in Portsmouth.
Greece hosts international maritime drill Niriis 2017
Ships and personnel from a number of NATO and ally navies are participating in the Greek-hosted maritime exercise Niriis 2017. Taking place off the coast of Crete in the southern Aegean Sea, the drill kicked off November 17 and is set to conclude on Saturday, November 25. The exercise is joined by S
HMS Queen Elizabeth sails with Consolite NVG lighting
When Royal Navy aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth got underway from Rosyth in June this year, the ship sailed with a specialized night vision goggle (NVG) lighting suite developed by UK-based lighting specialist Consolite. As the company explained, the aircraft carrier’s original design did not incor
Albanian patrol boat concludes navy’s first NATO deployment
Albanian Navy Iliria-class patrol boat ALS Oriku has wrapped up a full year of operations with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), concluding the Albanian Navy’s first ever NATO deployment. Deploying with SNMG2 in November 2016, the Damen-built patrol boat spent over four thousand hours on p
Royal Navy escorts Russian destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov through English Channel
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset scrambled recently to shadow a Russian naval destroyer as it transited the Moray Firth, returning home from the Mediterranean Sea. It was not the Kulakov’s first visit to UK waters as the destroyer was also shadowed by HMS Somerset from the same position in the Moray
Polish Navy to commission first Kormoran II minehunter on Navy anniversary
The Polish Navy’s first Kormorant II-class minehunter ORP ‘Kormoran’ has passed all state and builder’s trials and was officially transferred to the navy on November 17. According to a navy announcement, the minehunter is now set to be commissioned in Gdynia on November 28, on the day of the Polish
Turkish Navy decommissions 74 year old submarine rescue ship TCG Akin
A former US Navy submarine rescue ship has concluded over seven decades of service with two navies. Decommissioned by the Turkish Navy in a ceremony on November 16, TCG Akin started life as USS Greenlet, joining the US Navy as a submarine rescue ship in May 1943. After 27 years of service, USS Green
NATO’s SNMG1 concludes Mediterranean Sea stint
Ships form NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 have concluded their Mediterranean Sea stint taking part in exercises with regional navies and supporting operation Sea Guardian. The group is now heading for the English Channel where they will attend Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) drills before resumin
Turkish maritime drill Dogu Akdeniz-17 coming to a close
Over twenty ships and a number of aircraft are winding up their participation in the Turkish-hosted multinational maritime exercise Dogu Akdeniz-17. The exercise is hosted by Turkey in the Mediterranean every two years and the 2017 iteration is the 20th time it is taking place since it first started
Turkey emerges as potential buyer of UK helicopter carrier HMS Ocean
The Turkish government is interested in buying the soon-to-be-decommissioned UK helicopter carrier HMS Ocean if it is not sold to Brazil. In a reply to a parliamentary question, the UK defense ministry confirmed that Turkey sent an expression of interest to UK about the potential sale of HMS Ocean.
Bergen to refit Norwegian Navy training ship SS Statsraad Lehmkuhl
Norwegian maritime services company Bergen Group Services AS announced it has been contracted for maintenance and upgrade work on the 10-year classification of SS Statsraad Lehmkuhl. SS Statsraad Lehmkuhl is a 3-masted steel bark, built by Johann C. Tecklenberg AG in Bremerhaven-Geestemünde in 1914
Dutch minehunter discovers wreck of German Imperial Navy submarine
A Royal Netherlands Navy minehunter has discovered the wreck of the German Imperial Navy mine-laying submarine UC-69, 8.5 miles off the coast of Barfleur, northern France. Tripartite-class minehunter HNLMS Makkum made the discovery in late October but the wreck was identified in November. The wreck
French shipbuilder Piriou establishes naval yard in Senegal
French shipbuilder Piriou announced it has opened a new naval yard in Senegal, continuing its expansion in Africa. The French company said it partnered with Senegalese maritime company Ngom et Freres in establishing the new entity called ‘Piriou Ngom Senegal’. Piriou said the new company will offer
SNMG2 flagship HMS Ocean holds Remembrance service in the Mediterranean
HMS Ocean, the Royal Navy helicopter carrier and current flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), stopped in the Mediterranean on November 11 to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in previous conflicts with an act of Remembrance. The entire ship’s company, Bravo Company of 40 Comma