In the first week of August the Mexican Navy (Secretaria de Marina) and Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract for a fourth Damen Stan Patrol 4207. The Dutch ship design and shipbuilding company will supply the Mexican Navy with the design and material package with which ASTIMAR 1 (the Mexican Navy
Submariner, Commander Tony “Gecko” Ellis, has found new friends in far away places, during a visit to the Indian Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Tamil Nadu, India. Commander Ellis is a student at the Australian Command and Staff College (ACSC) in Canberra. He, and a small delegation
The Plymouth-based Royal Navy warship HMS Argyll has left her South Atlantic patrol and is the way home through the Panama Canal. Sailing two seas in one day – the 50-mile long canal allows ships to sail between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in just ten hours and the crew took the time to improve
All five of the Royal Navy’s Gulf warships joined forces for the rare chance to patrol the same waters simultaneously. Destroyer HMS Dragon – based in Portsmouth and on her maiden deployment – linked up with Her Majesty’s Ships Ramsey, Shoreham, Quorn and Atherstone for collective training off Bahra
A Royal Navy warship and RAF Typhoons have put their skills and technology to the test during a joint exercise. The aircraft joined HMS Dragon and US fighter jets in a training exercise to detect, classify and monitor contacts on the sea’s surface in the challenging conditions of the Gulf. The Type
The first five next-generation Merlins have been handed over to crews at Culdrose to prepare the souped-up helicopter for front-line duties. The innards of the Mk1 has been ripped out and replaced in a £750m upgrade of the Merlin fleet to ensure it stays one step ahead of our foes until the end of t
The guided-missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) arrived in Durres, Albania for a port visit, Aug.16. This port visit serves to continue Naval Forces Europe-Africa efforts to build global maritime partnerships with European nations to enhance regional stability. While in Durres, Sailors wil
A twice-decorated submariner who undertook dangerous convoy missions to Malta in the Second World War and plotted mines before the 1944 South Coast of France landings has celebrated his 100th birthday. Captain William Hedley Kett DSC* RD* RNR served for six years (1940 – 46) under the sea during the
On August 6th, after passing through the Suez Canal, navigating the Red Sea and crossing the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, the Spanish warship ESPS Meteoro has been integrated into the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. The ESPS Meteoro is the first of a series of four mod
Yesterday Commander Task Force 465, Commodore Peter Lenselink, visited Commander Task Force 508, Commodore Henning Amundsen, on board HNoMS FRIDTJOF NANSEN to discuss ongoing counter-piracy operations. Combined Task Force 465 is the European Union Naval Force, which executes counter piracy Operation
On 14 August, whilst in Djibouti the FGS Augsburg handed over the German commitment to the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta to FGS Niedersachsen. The handover was presided over by Captain Stefan Pauly, Branch Head of Maritime Operations from the Joint Forces Operatio
Royal Navy warship HMS Lancaster recently paid a formal visit to Kingston on the island of Jamaica. The Type-23 frigate arrived in the Commonwealth Realm on her emancipation day; marking 51 years since she gained independence. The visit comes after the completion of Lancaster’s first counter narcoti
In the last week there have been no significant events, as a result the NATO Shipping Centre (NSC) has removed all Areas of Concern which were published last week (01-07 Aug 2013), NSC said in a weekly update. Nevertheless, the threat of piracy remains and vigilance is required when transiting thoug
The crew of a Royal Navy warship has seized a massive 680-kilogram stash of cocaine with an estimated street value of £100 million. HMS Lancaster made the bust after sailors boarded a speedboat near Puerto Rico. The boat, which was concealed by a tarpaulin, was spotted by a US Customs and Border Pro
