Between 26 February and 5 March 2013, French warship FS Courbet, operating as part of EU Naval Force counter piracy mission Operation Atalanta, together with an embarked Estonian Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD), escorted a World Food Programme (WFP) ship that was carrying much-needed food and aid
A unique link-up between the Royal and French Navies – which saw a British helicopter deploy with a French warship on anti-piracy patrol – has been hailed a success. The frigate FS Surcouf returned to Toulon at the weekend after a three-month patrol of the Indian Ocean with a Lynx of 815 Naval Air S
The potential for Type 45 destroyers to help protect deployed UK and Allied forces from threat of ballistic missiles is to be investigated. Building on its relationship with the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the joint Ministry of Defence and industry-run UK Missile Defence Centre (MDC) has agreed
The Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) and German frigate FGS Hamburg (F220) arrived in Alicante, Spain, March 6. The ships began the second half of an extended deployment for the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Strike Group on Feb. 21 and Alicante marked their first port call in
Plymouth based warship HMS Monmouth conducted a major engine-space fire exercise to keep self-protection skills fresh mid-way through its seven-month security patrol of the Arabian Gulf. Back at sea and on operations after a two-week ‘pit-stop’ of essential maintenance and well-deserved rest and rec
After navigating the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb strait, ESPS Rayo joined EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta on Tuesday 26 February. Having completed her first patrol in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Spanish warship is currently alongside Djibouti, together with EU
Russia Plans to Rearm BSF Russia has announced plans to rearm its Black Sea Fleet and has asked Ukraine to settle the issues regarding the planned deliveries of new weapons to the naval force, Ukraine’s defense minister said on Saturday. Italy: NATO Allies Participate in Proud Manta 2013 Exercise Pr
Leeks occasionally make an appearance when cooked up by the talented on-board chefs, and as she approaches the halfway point of her seven-month patrol of the Gulf, the ‘Black Duke’ is looking forward to celebrating her Welsh connections. There is a small, but patriotic, Welsh contingent onboard who
On 24 February 2013, whilst on counter piracy patrols in the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) the Force Commander of EU NAVFOR, Rear Admiral Pedro García de Paredes, met with the Commander of the NATO counter-piracy Operation Ocean Shield, Rear Admiral Antonio Natale. The meeting be
A naval airman from Ramsgate serving in the helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious recently played his part in raising the profile of the forthcoming Battle of the Atlantic 70th anniversary. HMS Illustrious – known to her crew as Lusty – visited Liverpool recently and Naval Airman Chris Heale, 31, was a
Royal Navy warship HMS Argyll has made her first port stop to Lisbon for a briefing on the illegal drugs trade activities off the West African coast. The Plymouth frigate left the UK a week ago for a seven-month deployment and arrived in Portugal where leaders in the fight against the illegal narcot
At the end of February the Luxembourg Maritime patrol and Reconnaissance (MPRA) Detachment returned to the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta counter piracy mission, having taken over MPRA duties from the Swedish Coast Guard MPRA unit operating from the Seychelles. During their pr
Russia has announced plans to rearm its Black Sea Fleet and has asked Ukraine to settle the issues regarding the planned deliveries of new weapons to… [mappress] Source: Russian Navy, February 26, 2013
On Monday 25 February Dutch EU Naval Force frigate HNLMS De Ruyter transferred nine suspected pirates to the Seychelles authorities for prosecution. The transfers happened after HNLMS De Ruyter, who was conducting counter piracy patrols, stopped two skiffs on 19 February 120 nautical miles off the S
