Between 26 February and 5 March 2013, French warship FS Courbet, operating as part of EU Naval Force counter piracy mission Operation Atalanta, together with an embarked Estonian Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD), escorted a World Food Programme (WFP) ship that was carrying much-needed food and aid
A unique link-up between the Royal and French Navies – which saw a British helicopter deploy with a French warship on anti-piracy patrol – has been hailed a success. The frigate FS Surcouf returned to Toulon at the weekend after a three-month patrol of the Indian Ocean with a Lynx of 815 Naval Air S
The potential for Type 45 destroyers to help protect deployed UK and Allied forces from threat of ballistic missiles is to be investigated. Building on its relationship with the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the joint Ministry of Defence and industry-run UK Missile Defence Centre (MDC) has agreed
The Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) and German frigate FGS Hamburg (F220) arrived in Alicante, Spain, March 6. The ships began the second half of an extended deployment for the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Strike Group on Feb. 21 and Alicante marked their first port call in
Plymouth based warship HMS Monmouth conducted a major engine-space fire exercise to keep self-protection skills fresh mid-way through its seven-month security patrol of the Arabian Gulf. Back at sea and on operations after a two-week ‘pit-stop’ of essential maintenance and well-deserved rest and rec
USS Arlington (LPD 24) conducted a fast cruise Feb. 27, at Huntington-Ingall’s Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., to determine if the ship is ready to go to sea. This fast cruise was an important element of Crew Certification Phase II, conducted by the amphibious transport dock’s immediate s
Friends and families of the crew from USS Olympia (SSN 717) gathered at the submarine piers to welcome back the Los Angeles-class submarine as she returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam after completing a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific region, March 4. “Olympia accomplished nation
The Philippine Coast Guard announced yesterday that a Chinese-owned bulk carrier is currently dead on waters after it encountered engine trouble just southwest of Tubbataha Reef along the vicinity off Sulu Sea in Palawan. Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Palawan distr
Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) competed in a metabolic conditioning competition in the ships hangar bay, March 1. Sailors were given 15 minutes to complete as many sets as possible of five pull-ups, 10 hand-release push-ups and 15 squats. “The ideas for
Sailors and Marines from the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (KSGARG) and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26 MEU) will deploy from Norfolk, Va., and Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 8. The deployment is part of a regular rotation of forces to support maritime security operations, provide crisis response c
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Arabian Gulf for the ship’s first time, March 1. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital waterway in the region. At its widest, the strait spans 21 miles, and offers the only sea
The “Black Aces” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41 are conducting daily flight operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) from aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). By providing direct air support to coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan, fli
The warrior spear was passed to a new commanding officer at a change of command ceremony for the Virginia-class submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, March 1. Cmdr. Stephen G. Mack, commanding officer of Hawaii, was relieved by Cmdr. William A. Patterson. The ceremony’s g
The Navy’s first littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) departed her homeport of San Diego to venture out to the Asia-Pacific region on its maiden deployment March 1. Making good on a pledge made initially by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the 2011 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Fr
