Operations
USS Philippine Sea visits Greece after drills with Egyptian Navy
U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) stopped in Souda Bay, Greece, for the first port visit during its 2017 deployment with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG). USS Philippine Sea was in Greece from March 1 to March 5 conducting a community relations project, w
HMS Iron Duke returns to training after maintenance
Royal Navy frigate HMS Iron Duke set sail for the first time this year having spent the winter in her home port undergoing a sustained period of maintenance. The Type 23 frigate, which spent the first half of 2016 on NATO duties in the Baltic and waters of northern Europe, is now headed for operatio
USS Carl Vinson hosts Philippine officials at sea
U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson welcomed Philippine officials for an at-sea tour of the aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. Among the guests who landed on the deck on March 4 were the Philippines secretary of national defense retired Brig. Gen. Delfin Negrillo Lorenzan
Royal Navy flagship makes a rare stop in Beirut
Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean visited Beirut en route home, becoming the first Royal Navy vessel in five years to visit the Lebanese capital. The helicopter carrier arrived in Lebanon on March 4 having concluded a six-month deployment in the Middle East. Ocean’s captain, Capt Rob Pedre, was joined b
ROKS Choi Young joins counter-piracy operation Atalanta
Republic of Korea Navy destroyer Choi Young officially joined operation Atalanta welcoming aboard the operation’s Force Commander, Rear Admiral Rafael Fernández-Pintado Muñoz-Rojas during a joint counter-piracy patrol off the coast of Somalia. The Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer joined EU NAV
Australian frigate seizes 800kg of hashish from dhow in Middle East
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Arunta recently seized over 800 kilos from a dhow in the Middle East, on March 2. Arunta was patrolling in the Arabian Sea and her specialist boarding team located the drugs hidden in a consignment of coffee. The drugs have an estimated street value of approximatel
Lockheed dubs Dual Mode Plus laser-guided bomb as Paragon
U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin announced that it has branded its Dual Mode Plus laser-guided bomb (LGB) as Paragon. Paragon has been integrated on the F/A-18 while F-16 test flights are planned for the second quarter of 2017. In a U.S. Navy test from August 2016, the Dual Mode Plus demonstr
Canada’s last Iroquois-class destroyer to be paid off on March 10
Royal Canadian Navy’s last Iroquois-class destroyer HMCS Athabaskan is set to be decommissioned at the Canadian Forces Base Halifax on March 10, after 44 years of service. The destroyer returned to her homeport on March 1 after completing the final underway of her career. During the underway, HMCS A
India’s Scorpene-class submarine conducts first anti-ship missile launch
INS Kalvari, the lead ship of the Indian Navy’s six diesel-electric attack submarines, carried out her first firing of an anti-ship missile on Thursday, the Indian navy announced. The maiden firing of the missile took place in the Arabian Sea and was deemed a success. The navy said the missile hit a
US Navy fires USS Antietam commander after grounding incident
The U.S. Navy fired the commanding officer of the Japan-based Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam after the ship ran aground on January 31 in waters near Yokosuka, Japan. Capt. Joseph Carrigan was relieved on March 1 by Rear Adm. Charles Williams, commander, Task Force 70, followin
US Navy amphibious ready group deploys to Middle East
U.S. Navy sailors and marines assigned to ships from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (BAT ARG) deployed for operations in Europe and the Middle East. Amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) deployed from Naval Station Norfolk on February 24 and amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hal
Spanish patrol vessel deploys to Africa
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel Vigía set sail from Cadiz to conduct a series of activities in Africa as part of the Spanish government’s Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and to
USS Santa Fe attack submarine visits Japan
U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) made a port call at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on March 2 during her Indo-Asia-Pacific patrol. “Our crew has had the opportunity to meet our partner Japanese submarine crews that visit Pearl Harbor and are excited to visit their ho
Two Royal Navy Merlins join French Navy’s Jeanne d’Arc deployment
Two Royal Navy Merlins have embarked French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral, the lead ship of French Navy task group, for the French annual Jeanne d’Arc deployment. The five-month amphibious deployment will take the force – which includes the frigate Courbet – as far east as Japan and Guam, as fa