Operations
US destroyer Shoup concludes Indo-Pacific deployment
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) returned to its homeport of Naval Station Everett, Wash., November 21. While on deployment Shoup supported the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) and participated in exercise Valiant Shield 2018. OMSI is a secretary of defense initiative
UK deploying Royal Navy ship to Ukraine in 2019
The Royal Navy will deploy multi-role hydrographic survey ship HMS Echo to Ukraine next year in response to what the UK defense secretary identified as Russia’s intensifying threats and aggression. In a meeting with the visiting Ukrainian defense minister General Stepan Poltorak, UK defense secretar
FS Cassard rescues seafarers during Franco-Kuwaiti exercise Pearl of the West
French Navy anti-air warfare destroyer FS Cassard rescued twelve crew members of the Panama-flagged asphalt-bitumen tanker Durban Queen in the Persian Gulf on November 20. FS Cassard was en route to Kuwait and exercise Pearl of the West when it received a distress call from the nearby tanker. Accord
HMS Albion wraps up final stop of 10-month Asia-Pacific deployment
Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion has completed the final port call of a ten-month deployment to Asia-Pacific. Albion departed Gibraltar on November 20 and is expected to arrive at its Plymouth homeport on Friday. After a number of stops in the Asia-Pacific region and Middle East – Indon
The challenges of repairing a 40-year-old icebreaker
Article by: Peter Ong The United States Coast Guard’s only heavy operational Polar-class icebreaker, Polar Star, completed its annual scheduled refit at Mare Island, Vallejo, California, in a maintenance period riddled with challenges. The forty-two year old ship returned from Operation Deep Freeze
VT Halter Marine gets long lead contract for Oceanographic Survey Ship (T-AGS 67) construction
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded VT Halter Marine a $9 million contract for further design engineering, procurement of long-lead time material and limited advanced production of the Oceanographic Survey Ship (T-AGS 67). The T-AGS 67 will be a follow-on ship to the T-AGS 60-class program
F-35B lands “backwards” on HMS Queen Elizabeth in another Westlant 18 milestone
After acing the revolutionary shipborne rolling vertical landing earlier this year, Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and the F-35 Lightning team have now achieved another milestone during the carrier’s flight trials off the US East Coast. As announced by the Royal Navy, an F-35B short
Police investigating vandalism as Canadian Coast Guard ship slips into water
A Canadian Coast Guard patrol vessel slid into water after slipping off its cradle in the early morning hours of November 17. The Hero-class patrol vessel CCGS Corporal McLaren is partially submerged following the incident which Halifax police are investigating as a possible case of vandalism. The v
Australia’s HMAS Stuart returns from Asian deployment
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Stuart returned to her home port of Fleet Base West following a three-month deployment to North East Asia. While deployed, Stuart took part in a number of exercises conducted in the North East Asia region in company with HMAS Melbourne and Sirius. The commanding of
USS Carney wraps up European patrol
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) completed a four-month patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, returning to Naval Station Rota, Spain, November 17. Carney departed Rota July 27, 2018, and began its fifth Forward-Deployed Naval Force patrol in Europe and Africa. “From Va
Australian frigate HMAS Melbourne returns from six-month deployment
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Melbourne has wrapped up six months of operations in the Pacific and Nort East Asian regions and has returned to her homeport at Garden Island Sydney. According to the ship’s commanding officer, Commander Marcus Buttler, the deployment was a great success as the sh
Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group completes live-fire exercise
US Navy ships from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group (CSG), along with other Norfolk-based cruiser-destroyer (CRUDES) units, completed a “Live Fire With A Purpose” (LFWAP) missile exercise (MSLEX) off the East Coast earlier this month. As explained by the navy, the LFWAP program
Polish OPV ‘Slazak’ starts first sea trials
The Polish Navy’s 95-meter offshore patrol vessel ORP Slazak got underway from Gdynia to start her first sea trials, 17 years after construction on the ship got underway. The Polish Navy hopes to receive the vessel by March 2019 when acceptance trials are expected to be completed and the vessel hand
Construction begins on new Australian Navy Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels
A new class of Royal Australian Navy offshore patrol vessels (OPV) officially started construction in a ceremony in Adelaide on November 15. Deputy Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Mark Hammond, joined staff from Navy’s Construction Branch in Adelaide today to see the welding of the first two component b