Babcock has been awarded a contract by the MoD for a £350 million three-and-a-half year refit of the Trident missile carrying submarine HMS Vengeance, to be undertaken at Babcock’s Devonport Royal Dockyard. HMS Vengeance is the fourth and last of the Vanguard class submarines to undergo a Long Overh
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West testified before Congress March 22. MCPON appeared before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel on Hazing in the Military along with top enlisted leaders from the Marines, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard to dis
Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) hosted a material, maintenance and management assist (3MA) team March 22 as they evaluated the ship’s 3M program. The 3MA team consists of senior enlisted members ranging from chief petty officers to master chief petty officers from Command
Black Sea Fleet (BSF) 17-th Diving School based in Sevastopol trains divers for the whole Russian Navy. Having passed theoretical course, cadets started practical dives. Servicemen directed by experienced instructors are practicing submersion at coast-based training range and at sea from a special v
As of 23 March 2012 the Counter-Piracy force of the European Union (EUNAVFOR) which normally includes between 4 and 7 warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa will be joined by two new warships of the French navy; Frigate FS GEORGES LEYGUES and Amphibious Assault Ship FS DIXMUDE. FS G
HMS St Albans has spent the past five days on the Thames on a visit to London – the first she has made in 18 months. The Portsmouth-based frigate used the visit to renew ties with affiliates in her namesake Hertfordshire city as well as host numerous guests and affiliates while berthed in the Pool [
On Friday 23 March 2012 the Council of the European Union confirmed its intention to extend the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) counter-piracy mission, Operation ATALANTA off the Somali coast until December 2014. At the same time the Council also extended the area of operations to include Somali coastal
Sailors assigned to guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56) completed a weeklong Surface Reactionary Force Bravo (SRFB) course, March 18. The SRFB course is a mandatory anti-terrorism awareness course for crewmembers who stand quarterdeck, topside and roving watches. “My hope is that they take a
The handing-over ceremony of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya being modernized in Russia for India will be held in Dec 2012, reported information agency Press Trust of India referring to sources in Indian defense ministry. The Russian-Indian largest-ever military export contract on modernization of
On 21 March 2012, the Spanish Crown Prince, Felipe de Borbon, visited Spanish service men and women deployed as part of EUNAVFOR in the Gulf of Aden. The Prince said he was proud and “full of emotion”, for the outstanding work these Spanish men and women were performing, saying he is aware of the ch
Black Sea Fleet (BSF) middle-size reconnaissance ship Kildin left Sevastopol heading for the Mediterranean Sea, reported Black Sea Fleet HQ. “Crew of recon ship Kildin led by Capt 2 rank Alexei Rumiantsev will shift special-purpose ship Ekvator deployed in the Mediterranean since the beginning of 20
More than 4,000 Sailors and Marines from the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWO ARG) and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24 MEU) will deploy from Norfolk and Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 27. The deployment is part of a regular rotation of forces to support maritime security operations, provide crisis
Sailors aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) conducted an ammunition upload for multiple weapons systems used in shipboard defense March 15-17. Enterprise is equipped with two phalanx close-in weapons systems (CIWS), two NATO Sea Sparrow Missile Systems, and two rolling airframe missile (
Ukrainian Navy’s diesel electric submarine (SSK) Zaporizhzhia on March 20 took the sea after the 20-year long repair at Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) 13-th Ship Repair Plant; the sub entered Sevastopol harbor, and the crew began to train “routine activities at anchorage”, reported Ukrainian Navy Pr
