A Portsmouth based destroyer has been undertaking target practice in the Gulf to test her state-of-the-art equipment. HMS Dragon has fully automated systems but sometimes they may not be available and the crew have to revert to doing things manually. As a result the Ship’s Company need to know how t
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose hosted a “Citizenship for Life” (C4L) programme for young people in West Cornwall, putting over 20 students and their mentors through a busy day of exercises and demanding challenges. C4L is an award winning programme that has been running for three years with an aim
The acting assistant secretary of the US Navy (energy, installations and environment) toured Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, May 1. Roger Natsuhara’s first visit to NAS Meridian included a comprehensive survey of base facilities and discussions with installation leadership. Natsuhara expressed gre
The Royal Navy’s head of training Rear Admiral Clive Johnstone leaves the South West after seeing through major changes. As Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) he oversees the famous realistic weekly ‘Thursday War’ training exercise off the South West Coast which prepares ships for operations worldwide
Sailors aboard the Hawaii-based Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) departed their home port of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) April 30 for a scheduled Western Pacific deployment. While deployed, Chosin is scheduled to conduct theater security operations with partner
Portsmouth-based Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ledbury sails on Tuesday (May 7) for a four-month NATO mission in the Mediterranean. She will be working as part of a permanent multinational maritime force in the area known as Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). The group works througho
High speed vessel USNS Swift (HSV-2) completed testing of the TIF-25K Aerostat (unmanned blimp) and a Puma unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and departed Key West for Operation Martillio, a Countering Transnational Organized Crime (C-TOC) mission in the U.S. 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR) May 1.
Divers from minehunter HMS Middleton swapped England’s south coast for the warm waters of Gibraltar for a week of high-tempo training. The five-strong team made full use of the facilities on the Rock, practising search techniques, helping stricken divers, lifting mines from the seabed and carrying o
The Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship, HMS Bulwark, will arrive in North Shields for a week-long visit, during which her ship’s company will cement the already strong relationship with affiliated County Durham. HMS Bulwark is playing a lead role in the forthcoming Battle of Atlantic 70th anniversary comme
Protecting World Food Programme (WFP) shipments to Somalia is a core task for EU Naval Force Somalia; ensuring the safe transportation of humanitarian aid to the Somali people. In 2013, WFP aims to bring humanitarian assistance to an estimated population of 1.56 million in Somalia. Since the beginni
Only 36 hours after taking over the Gulf patrol duties from HMS Monmouth, HMS Dragon seized a unique opportunity to replenish her fuel supplies. Whilst this is not an unusual method of sustaining a unit on Operations it would normally involve just two units side by side at sea. On this occasion howe
Sailors aboard the Hawaii-based Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) will depart Pearl Harbor April 30 for a scheduled Western Pacific deployment. While deployed, Chosin will conduct theater security operations with partner nations while providing deterrence, promoting peace a
HMAS Toowoomba is assigned to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) mission to provide security and stability to vital sea lanes inside the Middle East Area of Operations. At the heart of it, Toowoomba has been tasked with stopping the transit of illegal narcotics, weapons and to act as a deterrent to
The John C. Stennis Strike Group (JCSSG) returned to San Diego Apr. 29, marking the end of a successful deployment for Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 and the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) to the U.S. Navy’s 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility (AOR). While deployed, JCSSG conducted th
