Operations
Big Ike Rendezvouses with HMAS Newcastle
HMAS Newcastle rendezvoused with “Big Ike” the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea for a day of steaming in company on 2 June 2013. Joining the one hundred thousand-ton Nimitz-class carrier and her escorts the Ticonderoga-class Guided Missile Cruiser USS Hue City and the German Guided Missil
USS Blue Ridge, USS Freedom Teams Engage in Cross-Training
The littoral combat ship USS Freedom’s (LCS 1 visit, board, search and seizure team) and the amphibious command and control ship USS Blue Ridge LCC 19 Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team, Pacific staged a joint boarding exercise on the Freedom, June 11. The exercise involved both teams on Freedom’s 1
HMAS Newcastle Replenishes at Sea for the First Time
HMAS Newcastle has conducted her first Replenishment at Sea (RAS) serial in the Middle East Area of Operations with RFA Fort Victoria on 29 May 2013. This RAS was the first such evolution in the MEAO for Newcastle (CMDR P. O’Grady, CSM) and added to Newcastle’s growing list of partnerships with inte
Homecoming Ceremony for HMAS Toowoomba
HMAS Toowoomba will receive a warm welcome home when she sails into Fleet Base West, HMAS Stirling tomorrow, Friday, 14 June 2013 following her six month deployment to the Middle East Area of Operations. The homecoming will be marked by a ceremony attended by Minister for Defence, the Honourable Ste
Guided-Missile Cruiser USS Chosin Drops Anchor in Subic Bay
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) arrived in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines for a port visit, June 12. “It is wonderful to be back in the Philippines,” said Capt. Patrick Kelly, commanding officer. “The warmth and hospitality of the Philippine people is as excep
EU NAVFOR Flagship NRP Alvares Cabral Continues Supporting WFP
During a recent port visit to Mombasa the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta flagship NRP Álvares Cabral hosted representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP). The port visit in Kenya coincided with a re-supply visit from the WFP Ship MV Caroline Scan which allowed the second
International Naval Reservists Join Forces within Bell Buoy Exercise
Naval reservists from 10 nations, including the UK, descended on New Zealand to practise their response to natural disasters. Exercise Bell Buoy saw the personnel, who form part of Maritime Trade Operations, rehearse how they would ensure merchant and military shipping could aid a country in the eve
Revamped Iranian Destroyer Bayandor Hits the Water
Iranian destroyer Bayandor has hit the water once again after a major revamp that lasted over a year and a half, the Associated Press writes. The modernization of the warship, undertaken as a part of the country’s efforts to attain defense self-sufficiency, included arming the warship with anti-ship
British Navy Survey Ship HMS Echo Sets Sail for Uncharted Waters
The Royal Navy survey ship HMS Echo has picked up the baton where sister ship HMS Enterprise left off to begin her second 18-month deployment in three years. The ship sailed from the South West after HMS Enterprise returned to Plymouth from nine months away to spend the next year and a half updating
Nimitz Strike Group Arrives in US 5th Fleet Area of Operations
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) with embarked Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 and Destroyer Squadron 23, along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations June 9. Speaking about the Sailors and Marines of the s
HMS Clyde Wraps Up Another Series of Operational Sea Training
April saw HMS Clyde successfully complete another period of Falkland Islands Operational Sea Training. The ten days of assessed training, plus the long build up beforehand, consisted of many simulated fires, floods, flying, machinery breakdowns and all that the staff from Flag Officer Sea Training (
USS Asheville Submarine Pulls Into Subic Bay
The Los Angeles class submarine USS Asheville (SSN 758) arrived at Subic Bay June 8 for a visit, as part of its deployment to the Western Pacific. With a crew of approximately 150, Asheville will conduct a multitude of missions and showcase the latest capabilities of the submarine fleet. “I am very
EU NAVFOR, Kenyan Navy Forge Bilateral Ties
Between 6th and 10th June, the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) flagship NRP Álvares Cabral visited Mombasa, Kenya. During the visit the EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Commodore Jorge Novo Palma, visited several Kenyan authorities to discuss co-operation and knowledge sharing in order to enhance maritime secu
USS Freedom Sets Off to CARAT Malaysia 2013
The U.S. Navy’s first littoral combat ship, USS Freedom (LCS 1), departed Changi Naval Base June 11 to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Malaysia 2013. CARAT Malaysia is among the key maritime exercises and exchanges Freedom will conduct with regional navies and U.S. 7