HMS Westminster completed two successful trial launches of her air defence missile system off the Isle of Wight. The Portsmouth-based frigate has been testing new canisters to hold her Seawolf missiles – tests which proved a hit as the weapon smashed two targets out of the Channel skies. Some 32 Sea
If you ever wanted to know what the hole where a sonar on a minehunter is fitted looks like, allow diver Lt Cdr Ben Stait to demonstrate. This is the ‘moon pool’ of HMS Ramsey – the purposely-positioned hole in the Sandown-class ship’s hull through which the Variable Depth Sonar deploys. With the so
HMS Richmond and her sister HMS Westminster have been charging around the fjords of Norway as the submarine commanders of tomorrow were tested to the limit. The two frigates joined some 20 NATO warships and aircraft trying to hunt down two submarines carrying students on the world-famous internation
The regular tugboat of project 90600 (RB-398, building No 936) of the Acceptance Program of 2013 has been launched.The tugboat will be delivered to Russian Federation Navy and put into operation within Black Fleet Navy this year. The tugboat is intended for towing and berthing operations in harbor,
During a port visit to Bahrain, HMS Monmouth has hosted the Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General David Capewell OBE, along with senior officers, Ministry of Defence civil servants and senior Component Commanders from across the 3 services. Alongside Bahrain for a brief overnight visit, HMS
On 04 March, during a port visit to Djibouti by the European Union Naval Force flagship, ESPS Méndez Núnez, her crew welcomed on board a group of ten members of the Djiboutian Coast Guard in order to conduct training exercises. The purpose of the visit was to conduct training for the Djiboutian Coas
The last day of February for the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 was also the last day of “Beneficial Cooperation”. During the two-week operation in the English Channel the ships of SNMCMG1 located and disposed of 8 individual pieces of underwater explosive ordnance (UXOs) with a total of
HMS Richmond was pleased to welcome Mr Douglas Bell of the Royal Naval Association (Newbury Branch) for a short visit whilst the Ship was alongside HM Naval Base Portsmouth recently. Mr Bell (a former Charge Chief Petty Officer with 28 years service in the Royal Navy) had come onboard primarily to v
The potential for Type 45 destroyers to help protect deployed UK and Allied forces from threat of ballistic missiles is to be investigated. Building on its relationship with the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the joint Ministry of Defence and industry-run UK Missile Defence Centre (MDC) has agreed
Sailors from Portsmouth-based HMS Iron Duke have marched back on board following the ship’s 11-month refit. The 170 crew have rejoined the Type 23 frigate following her upgrade carried out by BAE Systems in Portsmouth Naval Base. Iron Duke will soon return to sea for an intensive few months of sea t
The Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) and German frigate FGS Hamburg (F220) arrived in Alicante, Spain, March 6. The ships began the second half of an extended deployment for the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Strike Group on Feb. 21 and Alicante marked their first port call in
Plymouth based warship HMS Monmouth conducted a major engine-space fire exercise to keep self-protection skills fresh mid-way through its seven-month security patrol of the Arabian Gulf. Back at sea and on operations after a two-week ‘pit-stop’ of essential maintenance and well-deserved rest and rec
Three Merlin helicopters from 829 and 814 Naval Air Squadrons based at Culdrose in southwest Cornwall as well as 75 supporting air and ground crew are the UK’s input to Proud Manta– the biggest anti-submarine exercise run by NATO. Ships, submarines and aircraft from 14 nations have converged on Sici
HMS Monmouth has returned to routine maritime security patrols of the Gulf after a two-week maintenance period in the heat of Dubai. While in port the crew hosted Royal Navy Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Philip Jones and spruced up the frigate (known as the Black Duke) to the high standard expected
