Operations
US destroyer Donald Cook completes eighth European patrol
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) returned to Naval Station Rota, Spain, after completing its eighth forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) patrol of Europe and Africa. Donald Cook began its patrol Nov. 17, 2018 to conduct naval operations in the US 6th Fl
US 7th Fleet flagship trains with Philippine Navy ahead of first visit to country in three years
Command and control ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), the US 7th Fleet flagship, arrived in Manila, the Philippines, on March 13, for the ship’s first port visit to the Philippines in three years. The Blue Ridge and 7th Fleet team carried out a cooperative deployment with Philippine Navy (PN) frigate Da
Argentine Coast Guard opens fire at Chinese vessel in San Jorge Gulf
The 67-meter-long Argentine Coast Guard vessel Mantilla fired several shots at Chinese fishing vessel Hua Xiang 801 which was caught fishing illegally in Argentine’s exclusive economic zone on March 1. As informed by the coast guard, the fire was opened after the fishing vessel failed to respond to
Australian task group starts Indo-Pacific Endeavour 19
The Royal Australian Navy kicked off the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 19 (IPE 19) deployment on March 11 as HMA Ships Canberra, Success, Newcastle, and Parramatta set sail from Fremantle in Western Australia. 1000 embarked ADF personnel will carry out a series of engagement activities and military trainin
Royal Navy frigate rescues 27 from burning ship
Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll rescued 27 sailors from the Italian Con/Ro ship Grande America which caught fire in the Bay of Biscay on March 11. The frigate was on her way home to Plymouth after nine months away in the Asia-Pacific region when she responded to a mayday during the night from the 28,0
Royal Navy frigate arrives in Japan on three-year deployment to Middle East
Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigate HMS Montrose arrived in Japan on March 8, becoming the fourth Royal Navy ship to visit the country in a year. HMS Montrose pulled into Tokyo for a six-day stay at Harumi Wharf before starting exercises with Japan’s Maritime Self Defence Force and the US Navy’s Seventh Fl
Australian frigate seizes two tons of hashish in Middle East
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat seized two tons of hashish worth an estimated AU$100 million in street value during a boarding operation on February 28. This is the sixth seizure of narcotics by Ballarat during her current deployment to the Middle East, which she started in October last
Royal Navy destroyer gets underway for deployment with French aircraft carrier
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan departed her Portsmouth homeport on March 8 for a six-month operational deployment which will include high-profile cooperation with the French Navy. Duncan will spend the first part of the deployment in the Mediterranean Sea, providing air defense to the Fre
Former HMS Queen Elizabeth CO becomes Royal Navy’s new Fleet Commander
Several months after returning the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier from F-35B trials off the US coast, the ship’s commanding officer took up the new role of the Royal Navy Fleet Commander. The March 5 ceremony took place in Portsmouth on board HMS Queen Elizabeth, which Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd comm
US Coast Guard commissions 30th fast response cutter
The US Coast Guard commissioned its 30th fast response cutter (FRC), in a ceremony in San Francisco, California, on March 2. The USCGC Robert Ward is the second of four planned FRCs to be stationed in San Pedro. Robert Ward, the namesake of the cutter, served as a seaman 1st class on USS Joseph T. [
Royal Navy tanker Tidespring arrives at Cammell Laird for first docking
RFA Tidespring, the first of Royal Navy’s four 39,000 tonne Tide-class tankers, has moored at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead to start its inaugural docking period. This is the ship’s first overhaul since it entered service in November 2017 after arriving from South Korea in April. Its arrival to Birken
French aircraft carrier gets underway for first deployment since 2016
French Navy aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle got underway from its homeport in Toulon on Tuesday, March 5, to start Clemencau 2019 – its first operational deployment since 2016. The carrier got underway after completing carrier strike group and flight trials, following an 18-month mid-life over
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon seizes sixth drugs cache in six months
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon has seized over 2,000 kg of hashish in her sixth drugs bust in three months. The Portsmouth-based warship seized the hashish just days after seizing 49 kilos of heroin. The suspect vessel was spotted by the warship’s Wildcat helicopter during a night-time so
France contracts Airbus-led group for work on fleet-wide data network
The French defense procurement agency DGA (Direction générale de l’armement) has awarded an Airbus-led group a contract for work on the French Navy’s fleet wide data network. In cooperation with Naval Group and Rohde & Schwarz, Airbus will maintain and adapt the existing IP network for the French na