U.S. 6th Fleet’s command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), returned to its homeport of Gaeta, Italy, following routine operations to the Black Sea, Oct. 31. During the underway, Mount Whitney made port visits to Batumi, Georgia; Constanta, Romania; and Burgas, Bulgaria. The ship’s presenc
Devising highly complex explosive devices and then challenging each other to disarm them was the name of the game for Royal Navy divers during a NATO exercise in Iceland. Ten men from Fleet Diving Unit 2, based at Horsea Island, Portsmouth, worked with personnel from eight other nations in a series
Spanish Navy’s frigates ‘Reina Sofía’ (F-84) and ‘Almirante Juan de Borbón’ (F-102), integrated into the 2nd Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG-2), will participate in the counter-terrorist operation ‘Active Endeavour’ (OAE) during the months of November and December. The ‘Reina Sofía’ will particip
Hull will not host the Royal Navy’s recently decommissioned aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. Confirming that Hull’s bid to bring the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious to the city as a temporary visitor attraction had not made the final shortlist, Hull City Council Leader, Councillor Stephen Brady sa
HMS Grimsby prowled the most hallowed waters in Royal Navy history as she took part in the largest naval exercise NATO has run this decade. The Faslane-based minehunter searched the waters off Cape Trafalgar in Spain where a deadly harvest of drill mines had been laid as part of Noble Justification.
Spanish Navy’s minehunter ‘Duero’ (M-35) has returned to her home port of Cartagena after concluding her integration into the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG-2). The minehunter was deployed for two-months. It was the second contribution of Spain to this NATO MCM group after the de
The flagship of the EU Naval Force, ITS Andrea Doria, is visiting Dubai in support of the UAE Counter-Piracy Week. The UAE Counter-Piracy Week begins with the working groups and plenary session of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), which is currently chaired by the Europea
Forty-two nations, engaged with their units in a training area stretching between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, launched IMCMEX 14 (International Mine Counter Measure Exercise), the largest exercise of its kind. The third edition of the International MCM Exercise hosted by the U.S. Naval Force C
On Thursday 23 October HNLMS van Speijk hosted a group of sixteen students from the East African Standby Forces (EASF) of the African Union. HNLMS Van Speijk was berthed in front of the Seychelles Coast Guard Headquarters and the Dutch warship’s commanding officer welcomed the EASF students on board
Spain has been the host nation of NATO’s naval exercise ‘Noble Mariner 14’ held from the 16th to the 26th of October off the coast of Cartagena, Gulf of Cadiz and Alboran Sea with participation of 25 warships, six submarines and more than 4,000 servicemen from 16 different nations. This exercise was
The two week NATO Response Force certification exercise NOBLE JUSTIFICATION’s maritime component concluded Saturday off the coast of Spain, as the ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from 14 NATO Allies and two NATO partner nations began to take stock of the lessons the exercise provided for f
Last week, Task Force 508 of NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD conducted Maritime Law Enforcement training of port policemen from Somalia off the coast of the town of Bosaaso. The training, part of NATO’s efforts in building up regional capacity, included boarding operations and how to se
Over the weekend, the German submarine U33 completed its support to Exercise NOBLE JUSTIFICATION and joined Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) in support of NATO‘s counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR (OAE), marking the first time in over two years that a submarine has been placed unde
The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departed the Black Sea, Oct 28, after a series of engagements that promoted peace and stability in the region. While in the Black Sea, Mount Whitney’s mission was to work with NATO allies and European partners, demonstrating the
