Operations
Canada, France achieve supersonic firsts during missile defense drill off Scotland
The 9-nation live-fire integrated air and missile defense exercise Formidable Shield 2019 concluded at the UK defense ministry’s Hebrides Range off Scotland on May 19. The US-led drill helped allies hone interoperability in defending against missiles but it also saw Canadian and French Navy ships ac
HMS Albion deploys for Baltic Sea task group deployment
Royal Navy amphibious transport dock HMS Albion has deployed to the Baltic Sea where it will lead a multinational task group as part of a UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). All three service branches of the UK armed forces will take part in the first JEF maritime deployment, which started as HM
Repairs of sunken Norwegian frigate would cost well over $1B, inquiry finds
The undertaking would cost almost three times as much as it cost to buy the ship in 2000.
Another German submarine runs aground in Norwegian waters
The German Navy’s newest Type 212 submarine, the U36, reportedly came into contact with the sea bottom as it was departing the Royal Norwegian Navy base Haakonsvern. German news site Der Spiegel first reported the accident, citing navy officials. Video footage of the damage is currently being assess
German corvette deploying for Lebanon mission
German Navy corvette FGS Ludwigshafen am Rhein and her crew of 64 will depart naval base Warnemünde on May 17 to start an eight-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. The corvette will support the maritime task force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, currently led by the Brazilian
Spanish frigate breaks off from US carrier strike group heading for Strait of Hormuz
Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Mendez Nunes broke off from the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group (CSG) as it headed for the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tension between the US and Iran. The Spanish frigate’s withdrawal from the carrier strike group was first reporte
Irish Navy commissions final P60-class OPV LÉ George Bernard Shaw
The Irish Navy commissioned its fourth and final P60 class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) LÉ George Bernard Shaw in a ceremony in Waterport on April 30. The vessel was commissioned after being floated out at Babcock’s shipyard in Appledore, North Devon, in April 2018. Babcock built the four OPVs under
USS Abraham Lincoln jets take part in close air support drill in Romania
US Navy fighter jets embarked aboard aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln joined US Air Force’s 603rd Air Control Squadron to complete a close air support (CAS) exercise with Romania between May 3 and 5. The CAS involved coordination with US Air Force tankers for in-flight refueling and Romanian joi
Navies gather in Scotland for live-fire missile defense drill Formidable Shield 19
Navy ships from nine NATO states have gathered in Scotland where they will take part in the US Navy-led exercise Formidable Shield 19. The two-week exercise will take place at the UK defense ministry’s Hebrides Range located on the Western Isles of Scotland. It kicks off on May 7. Naval Striking and
USS Abraham Lincoln joins major Italian exercise Mare Aperto
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and ships from its carrier strike group (ABECSG) have joined Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi as part of exercise Mare Aperto, an Italian multilateral maritime warfare exercise designed to promote interoperability and proficiency. The
Royal Navy survey ship stops in Georgia on three-week Black Sea tour
Royal Navy survey ship HMS Echo pulled into Batumi, Georgia, for the ship’s second visit to the eastern European republic in five months. The Plymouth-based research ship is in Batumi as part of her Black Sea operations which can last for a maximum 21 days according to the Montreaux Convention, whic
Fire breaks out aboard Turkish landing helicopter ship Anadolu in shipyard
A fire broke out aboard the Turkish Navy’s future landing helicopter dock (LHD) Anadolu at a shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, on April 30. Fire aboard the ship, which is being constructed by shipbuilder Sedef for the Turkish Navy, was contained by shipyard workers and firefighters. No injuries or fatali
Aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis pulls into Marseille, France
US Navy aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) arrived in Marseille, France, on April 27 for a scheduled port visit. The carrier stopped in France after dual-carrier operations in the Mediterranean Sea with USS Abraham Lincoln last week. Earlier in April, Stennis met up with France’s own FS C
New UK Hydrographic Office officially opened by Princess Royal
The Princess Royal officially opened the new home of UK Hydrographic Office in a ceremony on April 26. Construction of the new headquarters for the 850 data analysers, hydrographers, cartographers, environmental experts and scientists took 18 months to complete and was ready for operations in Januar