Experts from the Northern Diving Group helped to raise a Dunkirk ‘little ship’ from a Scottish river bed. The team took part in a two-day operation to lift the Skylark IX, which in 1940 was responsible for bringing home 600 men from the continent. The divers from Faslane volunteered to help enthusia
The Royal Navy’s officer corps will celebrate their 150-year association with the town of Dartmouth in 2013. An all-star concert by former Royal Marines musicians in March kick-starts anniversary events which mark the arrival of HMS Britannia on the Dart back in 1863. The spiritual home of the Royal
Portsmouth-based Royal Navy minehunter HMS Cattistock sails on Monday (4 February) for a four-month NATO mission in the Mediterranean. She will be working as part of a permanent multinational maritime force in the area called the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). Ships from alli
The Ministry of Defence has today published details of how it will equip the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force over the next 10 years and how this will be funded. For the first time, the government has set out a fully-funded Defence Equipment Plan totalling almost £160 billion. The affordability
Last Monday,the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) left the port of Gdynia, Poland with a new commander at the helm and new ships. The first days at sea are usually used for ships and crew to get acquainted with the new command and with the respective capabilities of each vessel. T
The Royal New Zealand Navy will continue its traditional involvement and support in Waitangi Day activities in the Bay of Islands this year. The Navy is invited annually by the people of Tai Tokerau to attend Waitangi Day activities, and plays a major part in the commemorative ceremonies. This year
The Royal New Zealand Navy has hosted a meeting of international navies to promote common understandings for the coordination of shipping and maritime trade in the Pacific, Indian and South Atlantic Oceans. The Pacific and Indian Oceans Shipping Working Group was held at Devonport Naval Base in Auck
This week marked the beginning of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer’s (LHD 4) involvement in the initial phase of Dawn Blitz 2013 (DB 13). DB 13 is an exercise in which forces plan and execute an Expeditionary Strike Group and Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) – sized amphibious assault from se
USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) deployed today from Naval Base Point Loma for a scheduled six-month Western Pacific deployment. The Los Angeles-class, fast-attack submarine’s deployment is in support of the nation’s maritime strategy. Albuquerque’s missions will focus on maritime security operations and t
U.S. 7th Fleet and U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Yokosuka kicked off its Operational Medical Symposium at the Admiral Arleigh A. Burke Officer’s Club aboard Fleet Activities Yokosuka Jan. 28. Military officials from several nations attend the two-day symposium including representatives from Japan, Viet
Exhibitor space for the Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX) has been fully reserved, according to a meeting of the Higher Organizing Committee for the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX). 80 organizations have registered, taking up a collective 6000m2 of exhibition space dedicated t
Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) began their second semester of Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCPACE) classes Jan. 28. More than 300 Sailors enrolled in NCPACE to further their educational goals and earn college credits while deployed
On January 24 Commodore Ben Bekkering handed over command of Standing NATO Maritime Group One to Commodore George von Maltzan of the German Navy. Bekkering and his international staff had command of the fleet for one year. The solemn hand over ceremony took place in Den Helder, the Netherlands. Stan
The Royal Netherlands Airforce’s newest helicopter, the NH-90, is on its way to Somalia on board HNLMS De Ruyter. It is the first overseas mission in which the maritime on-board helicopter will take part. Although in its current configuration it will not be able to carry out all mission tasks, the N
