849 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) has set off for the Gulf this week to support Royal Navy and coalition forces on operations in the Middle East. 849 NAS has played an essential role in training the Culdrose Sea King Force aircrew and engineers as well as supporting frontline operations. It has also supp
Littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) stopped in Guam to refuel before continuing on to Southeast Asia, Dec. 11. Fort Worth is on her maiden 16-month rotational deployment in support of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Building on USS Freedom’s (LCS 1) inaugural 10-month deployment from March to
The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Norfolk (SSN 714) was decommissioned Dec. 11 during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk. The submarine will remain in Norfolk until in leaves in January to begin the decommissioning process at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine. Norfolk is currently
Representatives from international counter-piracy organisations, as well as nations deploying warships independently, have gathered in Bahrain to discuss how they can best work together to combat the threat posed to shipping by criminal gangs from Somalia. NATO chaired the 34th Shared Awareness and
To date, Sailors assigned to Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) have avoided costs of approximately $3.8 million by completing nearly 190,000 fire watch hours while the ship undergoes its Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntin
The US Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) is getting ready to take to the seas. One of the first steps of that process is completed by a group of Sailors with a knowledge of the seas and all the accompanying obstacles that they present. The Sailors of the Na
On 6 December, HMAS Tobruk sailed through Sydney Heads after five months away, and was welcomed alongside her home port, Garden Island by family and friends. Commanding Officer, Commander Leif Maxfield said since sailing in mid June, the ship has maintained a high tempo: We spent a significant perio
The Navy frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) is scheduled to return from its final deployment, where it operated in the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR) Dec. 12. Upon return the ship will begin to make preparations for decommissioning after 30 years of ser
The laser weapon system (LaWS) – a cutting-edge weapon that brings significant new capabilities to America’s Sailors and Marines – was for the first time successfully deployed and operated aboard a naval vessel in the Arabian Gulf. The operational demonstrations, which took place from September to N
With less than a week to go before they arrive back in the UK, HMS Bulwark’s embarked Royal Marines put on a showstopper by storming a beach in Gibraltar. Exercise Sea Snake saw commandos from Charlie Company 40 Commando and 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines (ASRM) land on East Beach in Gibraltar for
Whilst deployed on operations in the Middle East, HMS Defender’s helicopter Miss Adventure has celebrated her 35th birthday. The Westland Lynx Mk 8 helicopter normally based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovil has been embarked on the fifth Type 45 Destroyer since the Ship departed Portsmouth at the b
On 10 December 2014 Spanish Navy warship ESPS Navarra headed for home after completing a deployment with the EU Naval Force in the Indian Ocean. ESPS Navarra joined Operation Atalanta, the EU’s counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia, on 23rd July. Since then she has completed a range of dut
On Monday 8 December Spanish warship ESPS Rayo joined the EU Naval Force. The ship will be deployed at sea in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden for the next 6 months. Following an intense period of operational sea training, ESPS Rayo departed her home port of Las Palmas on 17 November, with an [&hel
After a challenging year bringing HMAS Arunta out of the Anti-Ship Missile Defence Upgrade and a deployment around Australia including participating as lead ship in the Albany Convoy Commemorative Event, Arunta’s Commanding Officer, Commander David Tietzel handed over command of the ship to Commande
