US Navy destroyer USS Benfold collided with a tug on November 18, becoming the fifth US Navy ship to get involved in a collision in the Pacific this year. The forward-deployed destroyer was participating in a scheduled towing exercise in Sagami Wan, south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, when the t
French Navy’s future FREMM frigate FS Bretagne completed her first set of sea trials in Lorient, North Western France. According to the international organization for cooperation on arms (OCCAR), the organization which coordinates the Italian-French FREMM frigate program, Bretagne wrapped up the fir
Japanese shipbuilder Kawasaki Heavy Industries launched Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s (JMSDF) tenth Sōryū-class submarine ‘Shōryū’ (SS-510) at its Kobe shipyard on November 6. The air-independent propulsion submarine was launched in a ceremony attended by senior defense ministry officials. In
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth left her home port for the first time on Monday, starting the second round of sea trials. Leaving her jetty at Her Majesty’s Naval base Portsmouth on October 30, HMS Queen Elizabeth and her crew started five to six weeks of machinery and systems trials
The Indonesian Navy received its second Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) guided-missile frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai during a ceremony in Surabaya, Indonesia, on October 30. Named after the Indonesian War of Independence hero who fought against the Dutch between 1945 and 1949, KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai is t
After rescuing two mariners at sea last week, US Navy’s amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) arrived in Okinawa, October 30, to prepare for the joint US Navy/Marines exercise Blue Chromite. The port visit also serves as a disembarkation point for the two mariners who had been adrift in
US Navy amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) rescued two mariners who had been adrift at sea for five months following an engine casualty. The mariners, Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba, both from Honolulu, and their two dogs had set sail from Hawaii to Tahiti this spring. They had an en
UK-based navigation systems supplier Kelvin Hughes announced it has been awarded a contract to deliver its navigation radars for the Philippine Navy’s two new frigates currently being constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The contract for the construction of the 2,600 ton frigates was awarded to
Germany has agreed to resume talks on the sale of additional three diesel-electric submarines to Israel after an Israeli corruption probe jeopardized the signing of a new memorandum of understanding (MOU). The corruption scandal has seen seven Israeli officials arrested and prompted Germany to put t
Following this year’s spate of incidents involving US Navy ships forward-deployed to Japan, Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, commander of Naval Surface Forces ordered Ready For Sea Assessments (RFSA) for all surface warships. Surface combatants forward deployed to Japan are being assessed first through a revie
German Navy’s first Type 212A submarine ‘U 31’ is in the water again after spending almost three years in the docks undergoing repairs. As reported by the German Kieler Nachrichten, the submarine was lowered into water and brought alongside by a tug boat. The submarine has been in the dry dock since
A Libyan Coast Guard boat on Saturday, October 7, opened fire on a tanker they suspected was smuggling Libyan fuel. A video released by the coast guard shows the Comoros-flagged oil products tanker Goeast being hit by 30mm rounds fired by the coast guard boat. The tanker’s hull, tanks and engine roo
US Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) was prevented from sailing out for potential storm Nate relief operations after a mechanical issue tied it to port. The ship was expected to get underway on October 7, together with amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), but was d
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has started construction of the second Italian Navy multipurpose offshore patrol ship (PPA). The steel-cutting ceremony took place on October 3 at the shipbuilder’s Riva Trigoso, Genova, shipyard. The unit will be delivered in 2022 and is part of the Italian Navy vess
