April 28, late afternoon, after 24 dense hours and three consecutive replenishments at sea led by EU NAVFOR flag ship Marne, Force Commander Rear Admiral Dupuis received his counterpart from NATO – Operation Ocean Shield. This long sequence started at dusk on April 27 for the command and replenishme
The British duo joined warships from the USA, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan – including an old Royal Navy favourite – for the war games in the Gulf of Oman. In the seemingly ever-present haze of the Gulf region, a Trafalgar-class submarine and an approximate American counterpart, USS Pittsburgh, lead a
Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset has begun a nine month docking period being undertaken by Babcock at Devonport – marking the first refit to be undertaken under the Surface Ship Support Alliance (SSSA) Class Output Management (COM) Phase 2 arrangements, which officially came into effect last month (Apri
Fleet Base West has experienced a busy first half of 2012, with both HMAS Stirling and West based Fleet Units playing host to several high profile international visitors since January. April was particularly busy with a flurry of VIP visits to the West. The first was from the United States Secretary
A&P Falmouth yard has had a very busy first quarter to 2012 working on 34 projects including six ferries, four of which were from P&O, tankers, MOD vessels, offshore supply vessels, tugs, barges and manufacturing the first wave energy device to go onto the FabTest site in Falmouth Bay. Some of these
HMS Dauntless played a key part in helping to keep the waters off West Africa safe during a major international exercise. The Portsmouth-based destroyer joined warships and personnel from ten other nations off Senegal for Exercise Saharan Express aimed at dealing with the enduring threats of people
Britain’s third cutting-edge Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond is ready to deploy having fired her main armament for the first time. The ship downed a drone target on a range off the Outer Hebrides using her Sea Viper missile, which rocketed towards its prey at three times the speed of sound. Seconds la
The Head of the US Navy Supply Corps has paid a visit to HMS Raleigh to see the facilities used to train Royal Navy logisticians at the Defence Maritime Logistics School (DMLS). Rear Admiral Mark Heinrich and his senior team paid a two day visit to the Royal Navy training base in Torpoint. They were
After sailing through four seas, three Gulfs, two oceans, one canal and completing three major surveys, Cdr Jon Holmes has said goodbye to survey ship HMS Enterprise. On April 29, Cdr Holmes handed over the helm to Cdr Derek Rae at an important occasion on board ship for all on board, but particular
At a ceremony witnessed by his family at the Guildhall, former Kingsbridge resident Commander Phil Game was granted the Freedom of the City of London The honour was bestowed upon him in recognition of his service career and the close links he has established between his ship, HMS Duncan, and the Wor
Crew members from Royal Navy submarine, HMS Vanguard, used a recent support crew period to strengthen their ties with affiliates. Back in November there was an opportunity for Vanguard’s support crew to reinforce the submarine’s links, beginning with a trip to Derby. In 2002, Derby awarded all subma
Commander Matt Syrett Royal Navy took Command of HMS ECHO during the Ship’s recent formal visit to Mumbai, India and is looking forward to returning to Sea as the Captain of one of the Royal Navy’s most modern Hydrographic Survey Vessels. His early career saw service in HMS Sheffield, Orkney and Lee
The crew of the Hunt-class ship have been given seven weeks of intensive training to prepare them for their impending mission – training which culminates this week off Scotland alongside some 30 British and foreign warships. Atherstone must be able to operate alone or as part of a NATO or coalition
Survey ship HMS Echo became the first Royal Navy vessel in ‘the gateway of India’ in five years when she sailed into the metropolis that is Mumbai. It allowed a change of some crew (the ship regularly rotates around one third of her sailors to sustain her mission away from the UK) and a chance [&hel
