Following six months of preparation and training, Royal Navy mine hunter, HMS Blyth ”left the wall” on Friday, June 29, from her home port of HM Naval Base Clyde to start her journey to the Mediterranean for a six month NATO deployment. The highly equipped Sandown class ship is off to join a NATO ta
To strengthen its defence business development activities and capabilities Austal has appointed former Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Rear Admiral Davyd Thomas, AO, CSC, RANR to the executive position of Vice President – Defence. Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy said the ski
The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) is currently preparing for the Bulgarian naval exercise “BREEZE 2012”, an annual , national, naval exercise with international participation and directed by the Bulgarian Navy Command. The exercise involves naval units from the Bulgarian Navy, the Turkish N
At a regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People’s Republic of China held on June 28, 2012, Geng Yansheng, spokesman of the MND, said the maritime liaison mechanism between the defense departments of China and Japan can help to avoid maritime misunderstanding and
Sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) are attending the first command indoctrination workshop of the ship’s maiden deployment. The command indoctrination workshop seeks to provide n newly reporting Sailors with a base-level of knowledge on the ship to allow for a suc
An eight-man team from HMAS Stirling (CAPT Brett Wolski) successfully completed the 2012 Gibb River Road Mountain Bike Challenge and raised much needed funds for the Ryan Marron Foundation as well as the Navy’s local charity, the Malibu School. The team of six riders and two support personnel chose
From the 18th to 21st June 2012, EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) frigates Guépratte and Reina Sofia collaborated with USS Taylor, engaged in TF 508 (NATO) to escort World Food Programme chartered ship MV Tupi Maiden 3. The escort of WFP ship started in Salalah (Oman) and was performed by EUNAVFOR French f
On June 27, the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organization and Thales Nederland signed an agreement to modify the four SMART-L volume search radars installed on the “De Zeven Provinciën” class air defence and command frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The new SMART-L radar will be optimized for
USS George Washington (CVN 73) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK) June 27, for a port visit to foster relations with a longstanding ally of the United States. Welcomed on the pier by ROK military members and the ROK Navy Band, George Washington made its first port call of its 2012 patrol and
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West released the following Independence Day message to the fleet June 28. “Shipmates and Navy families, As we take time to celebrate 236 years of independence, let us not forget those who sacrificed to secure our nation’s liberty and fre
Portsmouth based warship HMS Ledbury will return home today after spending six months working alongside NATO counterparts in the Mediterranean Sea. The Hunt Class minehunter and her 42 crew sailed in early January. Since then Ledbury has clocked up 12,000 nautical miles and spent her time operating
The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Jonathan Greenert, announced his selection of FLTCM (AW/NAC) Michael D. Stevens as the 13th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) at a Pentagon press conference June 27. “I was extremely proud to have such a highly and fully qualified group of candidates
USS Constitution won the gold level 2012 President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) for community service at the ship’s berth in Charlestown, Mass., June 26. The PVSA is divided into three levels: bronze, silver and gold. Groups must volunteer a minimum of 1,000 hours of community service to qualify
High-Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) arrived in Dar Es Salaam June 23 for a port visit supporting Africa Partnership Station (APS) East 2012. During the visit, embarked Sailors and Marines will facilitate port security training, martial arts and riot control, training and will participate in community se
