Operations
Russian sub Rostov-on-Don undergoes maintenance
Russian Navy’s new diesel-electric submarine Rostov-on-Don completed her sail from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol – both Black Sea ports, on December 25. In Sevastopol, the submarine will undergo inspection and routine maintenance of mechanisms of the submarine after it made the transition from the Nort
Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov passes the Suez Canal
The Russian Northern Fleet anti-submarine ship made the transition from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. The Russian Navy said it took the ship a few hours to pass through the channel. The ship’s main objectives were to ensure safe maneuvering in conditions of heavy traffic.
HMS Atherstone returns from 43-month deployment
Royal Navy’s minehunter ship HMS Atherstone returned to Portsmouth December 23 after more than three years of security operations in the Gulf. The minehunter had been based in Bahrain for three years and seven months, with her current crew of 45 taking over in July this year. She covered 51,220 naut
Norwegian KNM Hinnøy undergoes inspection and survey
Bergen Group Services, the Norwegian services and solutions provider, announced that it has been awarded an inspection and survey project for the Norwegian Navy’s minesweeper KNM Hinnøy. The company said the project would mainly generate activity throughout Q1 2016. The awarded project on the minesw
USNS Spearhead to join U.S. 6th Fleet
Sailors from the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Fast Transport vessel USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) are preparing for their deployment in 2016 to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Their aim will be to support the international collaborative capacity-building program Africa Partnership Station (APS). Sail
RFA Lyme Bay concludes Atlantic patrol
The Royal Navy’s auxiliary ship RFA Lyme Bay has returned home after patrolling the Atlantic, visiting 16 nations, helping with two disaster relief operations, and making a $53million cocaine bust. RFA Lyme Bay sailed into Falmouth, England at the weekend having completed a six-month patrol of the N
Saab seals Swedish corvette contract
The Swedish defence and security company Saab announced December 18 that it signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Material Administration for the yearly overhaul and modification of the Swedish Navy’s Stockholm-class corvettes. The two Swedish Navy vessels are HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmö. The a
Canadian Navy sub returns home
The Canadian Navy’s hunter-killer submarine HMCS Windsor returned to Halifax December 17 after a three and a half month deployment to Western European waters. HMCS Windsor, along with HMC Ships Athabaskan, Halifax, Montréal, Goose Bay, and Summerside left Halifax in the early fall. The submarine is
HMS Lancaster concludes nine-month deployment
HMS Lancaster, the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate, returned to Portsmouth December 17 from a nine-month deployment to the North and South Atlantic. The frigate has steamed more than 35,000 nautical miles across four oceans and has visited 23 ports in 18 countries. She was also the first Royal Navy ves
USS Rafael Peralta commences Aegis testing
The U.S. Navy’s future DDG 51 destroyer, USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) started its Aegis Combat System testing at the Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard, December 17. The Aegis system light off marks the beginning of combat system testing for the ship. These tests will ensure all combat system equipment
FGS Hamburg departs NATO after 6-month deployment
The German frigate FGS Hamburg will return to her homeport in Wilhelmshaven, Germany after spending six months as a NATO unit flagship on December 20. Hamburg was flagship of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. The 200 men and women of the FGS Hamburg were commanded by Rear Admiral Jörg Klein, who w
$64 million heroin interception for HMAS Melbourne
In her third drug seizure so far, HMAS Melbourne has intercepted another 216 kilograms of high-grade heroin in the Middle East worth around $64 million (USD $46.1 million). The heroin was transferred to Melbourne for further analysis. The seizure takes the Royal Australian Navy’s narcotics haul sinc
HMS Defender joins FS Charles de Gaulle
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer, HMS Defender, has now officially joined the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle in the Middle East in the fight against Daesh. The warship met with the carrier in the Indian Ocean with the goal of enhancing its capabilities in the fight against terrorist grou
Mediterranean Op Sophia receives new air assets
EUNAVFOR Med operation Sophia air units have recently been augmented by the Hellenic Air Force aircraft Erieye EMB-145H AEW&C and a Spanish Navy AB-212 Helicopter. The Greek aircraft, based in the Hellenic Air Force Base of Elefsis in Greece, is an airborne Command and Control Platform with the capa