US Navy’s Destroyer Squadron Fifteen (CDS 15) received a new commander in a change of command ceremony at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Aug. 7. During the ceremony Capt. Christopher J. Sweeney relieved Capt. Shan M. Byrne as commodore of CDS 15. Byrne, CDS 15’s 54th commodore, began his tour
The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) connects fuel supply hoses from the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187). The operation was conducted while the vessels were sailing in the Pacific Ocean on July 31. The John C. Stennis Strike Group is co
On Wednesday 5 August 2015, the Operation Atalanta Serbian Maritime Protection team that has been embarked on World Food Programme (WFP) vessel, MSM Douro, for the past four months to protect it from potential pirate attack, handed over the role to a team from Lithuania. The handover ceremony betwee
On Sunday 2 August 2015, the Commanding Officer of ESPS Galicia, Captain Rafael Fernandez-Pintado, met officers from the Royal Navy of Oman during the Spanish warship’s port visit to Salalah. Captain Fernandez-Pintado was hosted by the Chief of the Royal Navy of Oman Naval Base, and during the visit
On 31 July 2015, Operation Atalanta flagship, Spanish warship ESPS Galicia, sailed into the port of Salalah to resupply with food and stores. During the visit, Force Commander, Rear Admiral Alfonso Fernández Gómez de Córdoba, took the opportunity to invite on board the commanding officer of INS Suna
A new crew boarded Royal Navy’s HMS Atherstone Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel. Crew 4 of the 2nd Mine Countermeasures Squadron has relieved Crew 1 taking over responsibility of HMS Atherstone’s maritime security and mine countermeasure operations in the Persian Gulf. The crew of over 40 pers
Amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) hosted the Commander of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2 Rear Adm. Cynthia M. Thebaud on Aug. 3 while the ship was underway for the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group’s (ARG) composite unit training exercise (COMPTUEX). During the course of her v
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender flexed muscles through a gruelling 6 week pre-deployment Operational Sea Training (OST) package to achieve the Navy’s ‘gold’ standard. As one of the Royal Navy’s most capable ships, Defender proved her worth across the full spectrum of war fighting capabil
US Navy’s USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) arrived in Belize, Aug. 3, to offload adaptive force packages (AFPs) during Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel 2015 (SPS-JHSV 15). SPS-JHSV 15 is a U.S. 4th Fleet deployment designed to strengthen civil and maritime capabilities with regional partn
A Merlin from 814 Naval Air Squadron is guided down on to the flight deck of Italy’s flagship for the first time as part of the international migrant mission in the Mediterranean. The 814 NAS crew normally based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose near Helston in Cornwall flew on to the Aircraft Car
On July 30, France transferred command of Combined Task Force (CTF 150) to Pakistan, after a four month deployment at sea onboard French Ship Var, the CTF 150 flag ship. This completed France’s 9th command of the Combined Maritime Forces’ multinational maritime security and counter-terrorism task fo
More than three months after its departure from Toulon, France, and with over 17,000 nautical miles traveled, the French Navy’s frigate Forbin returned home on August 2. The vessel was deployed on a maritime surveillance mission in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in cooperation with allied naval force
During May and June Australian Navy’s HMAS Newcastle was patrolling with the Combined Maritime Forces in the Middle East region. During the patrols, the ship’s company discovered more than 1305kg of narcotics in two boardings. Now in the second half of her deployment, Newcastle has completed five su
The security force aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman completed Force Protection Exercise (FPEX), July 29, certifications for the anti-terrorism force protection mission area in preparation for an upcoming deployment. FPEX serves to ensure Truman’s security force is properly trained to
