The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) participated in a bilateral underway engagement with the Turkish navy corvette TCG Bykada (F 512) in the Black Sea, June 10. The engagement provided U.S. Navy assets an opportunity to work with Turkey to improve maritime capabilit
HMS Chiddingfold sailed from Portsmouth 9 June for the Gulf where she will spend three years protecting vital sea lanes. Although the 42 crew on board the minehunter will rotate every six months, the ship will be based in Bahrain until 2017. Chiddingfold will work with three other UK minehunters c
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) welcomed aboard U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel during a scheduled port visit to Constanta, Romania, June 5. Vella Gulf’s presence in Romania reaffirms the United States’ commitment to strengthening ties with NATO allies and
A new underwater target is being used to test the Royal UK Navy’s latest generation of submariners as part of a £5.3m five-year deal. It will be down to the sonar and control room teams aboard Astute, Vanguard and Trafalgar-class submarines to first find these devices in Scottish waters – then pot
HMS Enterprise was waved off as she deployed on patrol from Plymouth yesterday 4 June after months of challenging training and maintenance. The was waved off at Devil’s Point as she sailed across Plymouth Sound via HM Naval Base, Devonport, for 18 months of vital survey work in the Bay of Biscay,
USS Ross (DDG 71) departed its Norfolk homeport June 3 on her way to Rota, Spain, as the second of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to be forward deployed there. To enhance the security of the European region, two additional ballistic missile defense (BMD)-capable destroyers – US
Thirteen nations are scheduled to participate in the 42nd annual joint exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2014, set for June 6-21, in the Baltic Sea. BALTOPS aims to enhance multinational maritime capabilities and interoperability, while improving involvement in the larger Baltic region theater
BAE Systems has announced new design contracts for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, which will play a vital role in the programme to deliver the Royal Navy’s next generation surface warship. Six Design Development Agreements have been awarded covering key areas such as propulsion, ventilation and e
The Dutch submarine HNLMS Bruinvis and the German U 31 fired exercise torpedoes at each other on May 29. The submarines had been exercising together for the last two days, supported by the Dutch torpedo training ship HNLMS Mercuur. Firing torpedoes The exercise had been organised at short notice a
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) arrived in Constanta, Romania for a scheduled port visit, June 3. Vella Gulf’s presence in Romania reaffirms the United States’ commitment to strengthening ties with NATO allies and partners, while working toward mutual goals of p
A Royal UK Navy helicopter went to the aid of three people – a father and his two children – stranded on a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) after the craft’s engine failed. The RIB had been sailing from Northern Ireland’s Rathlin Island to Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay, approximately 20 nautical mile
HMS Bangor, the namesake Royal UK Navy ship of the Northern Ireland town, is back in the water after an extensive refit, with a fresh crew and a new ship’s motto. After entering the ship lift refit building in Rosyth Dockyard in November 2013, HMS Bangor spent five months hoisted on chocks having
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) arrived in Varna, Bulgaria, for a scheduled port visit, May 30. Vella Gulf’s presence in Bulgaria reaffirms the United States’ commitment to strengthening ties with NATO allies and partners, while working toward mutual goals of promot
The Royal UK Navy’s new submarine-hunting helicopters will face their greatest test yet when they head into the Atlantic next week in the biggest exercise of its kind for many years. Taking part in Exercise Deep Blue in the Western Approaches, the nine Merlin helicopters will join HMS Illustrious
