The guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) held a change of command ceremony at Bravo Pier at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Dec. 17. Cmdr. Matthew Hall relieved Cmdr. Andrew Thomson as commanding officer of John Paul Jones. In command since June 21, 2013, Thomson led the ship and cr
U.S. Marines and Sailors with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), along with members of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, officially concluded exercise Red Reef 15 with a joint demonstration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dec. 16. Over the nine-day span, 11th MEU personnel worked, trained and liv
The Royal Navy has awarded a £27m contract for its Sonar 2050 Technology Refresh (S2050TR) Programme to Ultra Electronics’ Sonar Systems business, Greenford, Middlesex. Under this contract, which will be executed over the next 10 years, the Group will deliver and support new hull mounted sonars for
After two years in a command that encompassed four Anzac class frigates, Commander Matthew Doornbos handed over command of HMAS Anzac to Commander Belinda Wood at a ceremony held alongside Sydney’s Fleet Base East last week. Commander Doornbos took command of HMAS Ballarat in November 2012, and has
The U.S. Navy completed an MQ-8B Fire Scout demonstration aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Bertholf (WMSL 750) on Dec. 12 as part of the Coast Guard’s ongoing efforts to assess the potential for future unmanned air system (UAS) operations from the 418-foot National Security Cutter class. The 1
On 10 November, Australian Navy’s HMAS Melbourne commenced her Mariner Skills Evaluation. This was an essential point in the preparation for her post refit, and the culmination of the hard pre-work up training the ship’s company had conducted. Later on in the week HMAS Melbourne’s Seahawk detachment
Birkenhead (Liverpool City Region UK) shipyard and marine engineering services provider Cammell Laird is completing a £49.5m refit of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Fort Victoria. The massive 10-month refit is the biggest ever undertaken by the yard since it began its through life support ‘cluster’
Leadership from Navy Expeditionary Forces Command Pacific (Commander, Task Force 75), Naval Special Warfare and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5 toured littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) while the ship stopped to refuel in Guam en route to Southeast Asia, Dec. 11. With an eye towar
Interactive software that can dramatically cut the time it takes to plan safe submarine missions is crossing over to the surface fleet and is being installed this month on the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), officials announced Dec. 16. Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR),
OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) has signed a contract with the Royal Navy to upgrade its fleetwide ECPINS-W Sub license. The upgrade includes two modules from the OSI ECPINS software suite of capabilities: Ship Helicopter Operating Limits (SHOL), and Officer of the Watch State Board (OOW SB). OSI will al
Babcock, in association with Raytheon, is to deliver four Phalanx 1B kits and convert four land Phalanx Weapons Systems to their original marinised configuration to provide naval Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS) capability (the UK’s primary defence for ships against anti-ship missiles), under a contra
The Deputy Commander of Allied Land Command (LANDCOM), Lieutenant General Ed Davis, CBE, visited the NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) to meet with the MARCOM Command Group to discuss coordination of joint operations between the two NATO components and exchange views on areas of common ongoing e
Leaders of the U.S. and British navies agreed on a shared vision for closer cooperation Dec. 11, the culmination of a yearlong effort that will build on a long-standing maritime partnership over the next 15 years. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert and his counterpart in the United Kin
Fire Controlman 2nd Class Mathew Vogel, left, from Bolton, Mo., and Operations Specialist Seaman Ryan Larson, from Bothell, Wash., fire a .50-caliber machine gun at simulated targets during a small-craft attack team exercise aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). Cole is conducting n
