Operations
Sunken aircraft carrier USS Lexington located after 76 years
The wreck of one of the first US Navy aircraft carriers has been located on the floor of the Coral Sea, 500 miles off the eastern coast of Australia. The USS Lexington was discovered 3,000 meters (about two miles) below the surface by the expedition crew of research vessel (R/V) Petrel on March 4 –
US Navy, JMSDF ready for MultiSail 2018
US Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) sailors and personnel are all set for seven days of bilateral exercises as part of exercise MultiSail 2018 which starts March 8. MultiSail is an annual bilateral training exercise that improves interoperability between US and Japanese forces. In
Australian frigate seizes another 8 tons of narcotics
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga made another drug interception in the Arabian Sea intercepting eight tonnes of hashish aboard two vessels. The drugs, worth an estimated AU$400 million, were seized during an operation on March 3. Warramunga has now seized 19.5 tonnes of hashish and 1.5
USS George H.W. Bush passes INSURV
US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) has wrapped up the navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) material inspection (MI). INSURV inspectors evaluate ships against navy standards to determine their overall combat readiness. INSURV is congressionally mandated for all navy ship
Gulf-based Royal Navy ships join Omani exercise Khunjar Hadd
Three of Britain’s five ships permanently based in the Gulf joined the Americans and French as guests of the sultanate for the 23rd iteration of Khunjar Hadd (‘Sharp Dagger’). Minehunters draw their daggers in Omani exercise which tests the ability of the Omani Navy to work with warships from other
SA Shipyards to construct South African Navy’s new hydrographic survey vessel
South African defense procurement agency ARMSCOR has finalized negotiations with South African Shipyards (SAS) for the construction of a hydrographic survey vessel as part of the navy’s Project Hotel. The agreement was finalized in February 2018, a year after SAS was selected as the preferred bidder
USS Carl Vinson arrives in Vietnam on historic visit
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived in Vietnam on Monday, marking the first visit of a US aircraft carrier to the country after the end of Vietnam War in 1975. Carl Vinson and its 5,000 crew anchored two nautical miles off the port city of Danang for a four-day visit to the country. [&h
F-35B ready amphibious assault ship USS Wasp starts first forward-deployed patrol
US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) got underway from her new homeport in Sasebo, Japan, to complete a pre-deployment readiness assessment before switching to operations as part of the ship’s first patrol in the Indo-Pacific region. Wasp is undergoing a Naval Surface Forces-led ready fo
Indian Navy wraps up whole-of-fleet two-month drill
The Indian Navy concluded a two-month-long drill on February 28. The drill saw the participation of all the operational ships, submarines and aircraft of the navy along with men and equipment of the army, all types of aircraft of the country’s air force and ships and aircraft of the coast guard. The
German F123 frigate FGS Bayern joining NATO’s SNMG2 in Aegean Sea
German Navy’s Brandenburg-class frigate FGS Bayern is scheduled to get underway from her homeport of Wilhelmsaven on March 7 to start a six-month deployment to the Aegean Sea. During their time in the Aegean Sea, the frigate and her crew will operate as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SN
US Navy destroyer exits the Black Sea
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) departed the Black Sea on March 3, after conducting maritime security operations. The US Navy vessel entered the Black Sea in February 2018, joining sister ship USS Ross. Carney’s crew visited Varna for a scheduled port visit to st
USS Bremerton to be decommissioned later in 2018
USS Bremerton (SSN 698), the oldest submarine in the US Navy, will be moved to Bremerton, Washington, and decommissioned later this year, the navy informed. The Los Angeles-class attack submarine arrived at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in the Philippines on March 1 for a routine port visit during its
Harry S. Truman carrier strike group officially ready to deploy
US Navy’s Harry S. Truman carrier strike group (HSTCSG) has completed the final pre-deployment exercise and is now officially ready to deploy. The group returned to Naval Station Norfolk on March 1 after completing their composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX). HSTCSG got underway Feb. 1, to car
Indian Navy concludes large scale operational drill in Arabian Sea
The Indian navy’s Western Naval Command wrapped up a large scale operational exercise in the Arabian Sea. Dubbed ‘Paschim Leher’ (XPL), the three week long exercise is designed to test the operational readiness of the Western Naval Command and the execution of it’s operational plans. Over 40 naval a