After completing an Operation RESOLUTE deployment in Darwin, HMAS Ballarat commenced a fast transit down the West Coast towards Fleet Base West. Ballarat was in company with HMAS Success as they passed through one of the most important areas on Australia’s long coastline. The North West shelf reso
A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft completed its transition from Kuala Lumpur to Perth March 18 to continue the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean. “The search has expanded to the southern portions of the Indian Ocean and the P-8A has the range required t
Australian Defence Force personnel deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations joined in the birthday celebrations as both the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army celebrated their 113th birthdays. At the Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, members not required for duty gathere
HMAS Darwin has seized and destroyed more than three tonnes of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of $137 million dollars. The drugs were found hidden aboard a skiff in the Gulf of Aden on 16 March 2014. HMAS Darwin is currently deployed on patrol under the control of the Combined Marit
After 6 months at sea and over a $1 billion dollars in drug apprehensions, HMAS Melbourne returned to her homeport of Garden Island, Sydney, on March 15th. The crowded wharf of well wishers, which counted among their numbers the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Tony Abbott MP and the Chief of
Two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion aircraft are continuing to support the Malaysian coordinated search mission for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Chief of the Defence Force General David Hurley said Malaysian authorities coordinating the search had re-tasked an Australian aircraft.
After an intense three weeks of operations, the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) Mine Counter Measures and Dive Exercise 2014 (MCMEX14) closed with a traditional ceremonial Beat to Quarters at the Navy Museum in Auckland, New Zealand. The MCMEX14 was hosted by the Royal New Zealand Navy and
Russia Deploys 60 Ships near Ukraine Russia has deployed 60 ships on the East border of Ukraine and in Crimea, Acting Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Ihor Tenykh said on Tuesday, March 11. The Minister also stressed that there is no open aggression, since Russia does not officially recognize the tro
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s frigate HMNZS TE MANA returned this morning to Devonport Naval Base after a seven-month deployment. About 700 family members along with three Seasprite helicopters welcomed TE MANA’s 182 Warriors of the Sea. The ship fired a 17-gun salute as she arrived, replied by a s
The Warrnambool community were granted a rare opportunity to see a warship on Tuesday, when HMAS Melbourne conducted a close proximity transit during her return voyage to her homeport Garden Island, Sydney. As dusk set in, Melbourne launched her embarked S-70B Seahawk helicopter, affectionately kn
In a combined French and Australian operation, naval ships seized and destroyed almost 650 kilograms of cannabis resin hidden aboard a smuggling skiff in the Red Sea. After HMAS Darwin intercepted the skiff, her boarding party discovered the cannabis resin in 120 plastic packages concealed in hess
The search for the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which lost radar signal in the early hours of Saturday, when it was flying over the Ho Chi Minh air traffic control area in Vietnam, is intensively underway. Nine countries are contributing to the search 24/7 across the South China Sea for the ai
Russia Sinks Ship to Block Ukrainian Navy Ships The Russian Navy Ochakov Kara-class cruiser was sunk last night to block the Ukrainian Navy ships deployed in Novoozerne, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said in a press release today. The information was confirmed by the Ukrainian military of the So
Only 10 days into her operational deployment, HMAS Darwin, in cooperation with Pakistan Maritime Security Agency Ship MSS Nusrat, has come to the rescue of 13 fishermen found adrift at sea off Pakistan. The men were discovered last Saturday, 1 March. The men, who claimed to be Iranian nationals, s
