Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan got underway from naval base Portsmouth on December 8 to start her deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and the Royal Navy’s operation Kipion tasking. HMS Duncan is the first Royal Navy destroyer to deploy in 2018. The remaining five destro
The crew of Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga seized 3.5 tons of narcotics on January 3, days after making a record 8-ton hashish interception on December 27-29. During the latest operation, HMAS Warramunga seized illicit narcotics during a night-time operation in the Arabian Sea with he
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga seized almost eight tons of hashish and 69 kilograms of heroin from three separate vessels in the Arabian Sea over a course of two days. The crew of Warramunga seized the drugs in an operation spanning between December 27 and 29, 2017. According to the A
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has established a subsidiary in Qatar which will be “the focal point” of all the services and after sales activities on the naval vessels of the group in the country. The new company, Fincantieri Services Middle East in Doha, is licensed by the Qatar Financial Centre.
US Navy destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) assisted an Iranian vessel in the Persian Gulf, stranded 60 nautical miles from nearest land with no communication capabilities. An MH-60R Sea Hawk embarked with Preble was conducting routine flight operations on December 16 when they spotted the Iranian vessel
US Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) wrapped up eight months of operations in the US 5th Fleet area of operation returning to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk on December 15. The cruiser got underway on April 23, as an independent deployer, to support maritime security operatio
The Royal Australian Navy is at the helm of Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 150 (CTF150) after assuming command from the Pakistan Navy in a change of command ceremony at CMF headquarters in Bahrain on December 7. Australian Commodore Mal Wise assumed command of CTF150 from Pakistani Re
After concluding several days of drills with the Egyptian Navy, the French task group composed of helicopter carrier BPC Tonnerre and destroyer FS Chevalier Paul pulled into Aqaba, Jordan, to embark US Marines on December 4. The French Task Group 473.1, together with sailors and marines from Naval A
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Newcastle returned to her home port on December 3 after concluding a six-month deployment to the Middle East. The crew of the Adelaide-class guided missile frigate were welcomed to the Fleet Base East, Garden Island, Sydney, by their families and Australian defense
Royal Navy frigate HMS Monmouth returned to Plymouth on December 1, concluding a nine-month deployment. Since leaving Devonport in March, the ship has travelled over 40,000 miles through the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and wider Middle East regions. While on counter-narcotics patrols
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond is returning home early from a deployment to the Persian Gulf after experiencing propeller problems. The Type 45 destroyer was forced to leave the gulf despite sailors’ efforts to repair the ship at sea, a Times report on November 23 said. The problems are reportedly
A French Navy amphibious task group got underway from the Toulon naval base on Wednesday, November 21, for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. Composed of Mistral-class amphibious assault ship LHD FS Tonnerre and the Horizon-class air defense destroyer FS Chevalier Paul, the task
US guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) got underway from San Diego on November 20 to start a regularly scheduled independent deployment to the US 7th Fleet and 5th Fleet areas of operation. Higgins has a crew of nearly 330 sailors, officers and enlisted, and is a multi-mission ship designe
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Newcastle wrapped up a six-month deployment to the Middle East achieving some firsts and marking some lasts along the way. She conducted a range of Combined Maritime Forces operations, including an attachment in support of the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, and t
