Operations
US Navy personnel train for F-35B integration
U.S. military service members, industry partners, and technical experts carried out a weeklong exercise aimed at integrating the new F-35B Joint Strike Fighter into the U.S. Navy fleet. The F-35B Ship Sustainment Wargame (SSWG) focused on the Marine Corps F-35B, using a “Day-in-the-Life” approach to
Ike reaches 300,000th trap milestone
The 17th commanding officer of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) announced that the ship completed its 300,000th successful arrested landing. The milestone was reached nearly 40 years after the first aircraft launched from the flight deck on September 15, 2017. C
USS Carter Hall arrives in Romania for joint amphibious exercise
U.S. Navy’s amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) and embarked marines transited the Bosphorus Strait on March 17 to visit Romania and take part in the bilateral amphibious operations exercise Spring Storm 2017. The exercise is taking place in the Black Sea between March 18 and 21. S
Spanish ESPS Relampago returns from 6-month counter-piracy mission
Spanish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel Relámpago returned home on March 16, concluding a six-month deployment to operation Atalanta, a EU-led counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia. The crew sailed over 28,000 nautical miles, and has conducted over 50 approaches, greeting Somali fishermen an
Somali pirates release hijacked tanker without ransom
Somali pirates on Thursday released the fuel tanker Aris 13 and its crew, the EU Naval Force (Somalia) confirmed. The crew were set free with no injuries after being held hostage for four days. This was also confirmed by the director general of the maritime police force of Somalia’s Puntland region,
Australian defence industry minister tours Spanish frigate
Australia’s minister for defence industry visited a Spanish Navy frigate downselected for the Future Frigate programme on Friday to inspect the capabilities of the ship. Minister Christopher Pyne went aboard the F-100 frigate ESPS Cristobal Colon for a tour of the ship and an update on the progress
First burial at sea for USS Nimitz in more than two years
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its crew conducted the first burial at sea in more than two years on March 15, when they laid to rest 17 service members and one civilian. The reason why this was the first burial in such a long time is that the carrier spent almost two years […]
New fleet tender to join operation Sophia in the Med
Ships assigned to the EU-led operation Sophia will be welcoming a new fleet tender to their group once the German Navy ship Rhein sets sail for the Mediterranean Sea. FGS Rhein is scheduled to depart its homeport in Kiel on March 21 and head toward the Mediterranean where she will help save lives an
UK’s carrier strike capability could be delayed, watchdog warns
Technical issues and manpower shortage could cause delays in the Royal Navy’s plans for the deployment of its carrier strike group, a UK spending watchdog has warned. The UK ministry of defense plans to have an initial carrier strike operating capability by December 2020, something the UK has been w
German frigates to trade places at the helm of NATO group
German Navy’s anti-submarine warfare Type F123 frigate FGS Brandenburg is set to deploy to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) to relieve another German frigate, the Type F124 FGS Sachsen, as flagship of the task force. The lead ship in the class of four German Navy F123 frigates, FGS Brandenbu
US Navy aircraft carrier arrives in Korea for annual Foal Eagle drill
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea, together with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) for a scheduled port visit and joint exercises on March 15. The Carl Vinson Strike Group completed two weeks of routine ope
US Coast Guard to commission 20th FRC
The U.S. Coast Guard announced it would hold a commissioning ceremony for its 20th Fast Response Cutter Lawrence Lawson on Saturday, March 18. Prior to its formal commissioning in Cape May, the Lawrence Lawson and crew visited the Washington, D.C. area on March 6 rendering honors while passing Washi
Pirates demand ransom in first Somali hijacking since 2012
For the first time since 2012, Somali pirates hijacked a tanker on March 13 off the coast of Somalia, the EU Naval Force counter-piracy operation has confirmed. The authorities said they received positive confirmation from the master of the Comoros-flagged tanker, Aris 13, that his ship and crew are
US destroyer seizes 270 kg of heroin in Arabian Sea
U.S. Navy destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) seized 270 kilograms of heroin from a small stateless dhow in the international waters of the Arabian Sea March 13. The dhow was intercepted after having been tracked by a helicopter from the Royal Navy’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Fort Victoria. Both Laboon