On Wednesday 11 September, German frigate FGS Niedersachsen received a special kind of air mail, when a Spanish Maritime Patrol Aircraft parachuted in voting papers for 20 sailors on board for the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Germany. The warship, which has 230 men and women on board is cu
Navantia set afloat, yesterday at 12:00, the first of the series of twelve fast landing crafts that the shipyard is building for the Royal Australian Navy. The design of these ships is based on the ones built by Navantia for the Spanish Navy and commissioned from 2006 to 2008. The contract, signed i
The forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) departed Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, Sept. 13, to continue its 2013 patrol of the 7th Fleet area of operations. George Washington has spent the last three weeks in port to conduct a scheduled maintenance period after two mont
The next Royal Australian Navy ship to see service in the Middle East Area of Operations has undergone an important treatment in Western Australia before sailing for foreign seas. HMAS Melbourne entered the Magnetic Treatment Facility at Fleet Base West in order to undertake deperming in the first w
The Royal Australian Navy would like to congratulate the following personnel who were awarded honours by Her Excellency the Governor-General the Honourable Quentin Bryce AC CVO, during a series of Investiture Ceremonies held at Government House, Canberra, last week: Appointed a Member of the Order o
On Tuesday 10 September, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Spanish warship ESPS Meteoro embarked a Skeldar V-200 Reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in the port of Djibouti. Prior to embarking the UAV on board the ESPS Meteoro, it was tested by the Spanish Navy in Canary Islands waters on board th
The Royal Australian Navy would like to congratulate eight of its members who were awarded honours by The Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, during a series of Investiture Ceremonies held at Government House, Sydney this week. They were: Conspicuous Service Cr
Amphibious transport dock ship USS Denver (LPD 9), with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), departed Darwin, Australia, Sept. 12, following a two-day port visit. Denver’s departure signifies the end of Exercise Koolendong with the 31st MEU at the Bradshaw Field Training Area (BFTA) in
“Somalia is open to further cooperation with the European Union in the area of maritime security”, said President Hassan Sheik Mohamoud of Somalia last week while on board HNLMS Johan de Witt on the Indian Ocean in a position close to the capital city of Mogadishu. The president sees this type of co
The recent restructure and re-focus of Fleet Support Unit – Australia under the watchful eye of General Manager Jason Aquilina has led to a renewed sense of purpose for the technical sailors at Fleet Support Unit – West. In addition to providing vital routine maintenance support to the ships, submar
Following a successful deployment to North East Asia, HMAS Sydney has returned home to a warm welcome from family and friends on the wharf at Fleet Base East. Over the past four and a half months Sydney has participated in a wide range of exercises and operations ranging from regional engagement in
Sailors from HMAS Cerberus saw seagoing vessels in a very different light when they attended the 2013 Melbourne International Tall Ships Festival between 6-15 September. Chief Petty Officer Danny Mulheron headed up the Navy Community Engagement Team, which fielded questions from seasoned sailors thr
With a pipe from the Executive Officer it was all over. The ship and its company had passed the final assessment that began with a Mariner Skills Evaluation back in March and culminated in September with a final Force Protection assessment alongside Diamantina Pier, HMAS Stirling, WA. Not that it wa
Leading the fight against piracy across 2.5 million square miles of the Indian Ocean from yesterday is a Royal Navy team who have taken charge of the international task force. It is the first time the Senior Service has been in charge of Combined Task Force 151, half a dozen ships from half a dozen
